Orange Skies
by quixotic-x
Summary: Arianna Carden was a realist. She would never believe in something so ridiculous such as prince charming. But then again, she never believed that there was such a thing as magic, and she had been proven wrong there. MWPP era SBOC JPLE RLOC
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Well, I've been reading a lot of Sirius/OC stories lately and I thought it would be fun if I made one of my own. I'll try to write as much of this story as possible, but I can't promise anything. But hopefully I'll write more often for this story than my other one for Holes. But I'm thinking I will seeing as I have much more fun writing this than my other one, but that's of course since I have the Marauders in this one. :) So please **Read&Review!** k, thnx. :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter. I only own those few characters that you might not recognize from the books. :)

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**Orange Skies:  
Prologue**

She sat in peaceful solace as the gentle breeze blew pieces of her hair out off her face. It was her favourite time of the day, the sun slowly dripping down and disappearing into the horizon and casting a faint glow into the atmosphere. Sunset. This picturesque scenario brought back hundreds of thousands of memories, both good and bad. Even the very porch that she sat on held countless memories that she neither could or wanted to forget.

Arianna Carden was a realist. Yes, she hoped, just like every other girl out there, that her prince charming would come one day and steal her heart away. She wanted to be a hopeless romantic, she really did. But what with the events that had taken place in her life, she couldn't ever imagine her fantasy to come true. She knew full well that even if there was such a thing as the perfect man, he could never settle for just her. The perfect man needed the perfect woman and that was undoubtedly not what she was. She was a girl who laughed too much, failed a grade or two, could start an enormous argument over nothing, bit her nails, and made many regrets that even jumbo erasers or tubs full of ice cream couldn't make disappear. That was far from perfect. But just like any teenager, she hoped for the next best thing.

But what happens to realists that had to come face to face with a reality that seemed almost impossible? Arianna was sure she was being pranked on the day of her eleventh birthday when an owl had come swooping into her living room to drop of a letter that was addressed to her. _"Ridiculous." _she had thought when she first finished reading about the school named Hogwarts and how she was to attend it. _"If someone were to prank me, they might as well have thought it all the way through. Magic? There's no such thing."_

And yet here she was, fully expecting a man to appear to her in just a few mere minutes by the very idea that she thought was impossible. A trunk sat next to her, heavy with dozens of books, parchments, quills, robes, and other items she thought were necessary for the upcoming year. Even when she looked at it, she couldn't help but shake her head. For about a week now she kept wondering how that man, that quirky old man, had convinced her to believe in a crazy thing like magic. The day was the 31st of August and tomorrow, the dark-haired girl would be boarding the Hogwarts Express to lead her to her new school. She could still remember the conversation that she had with her professor only a week before. It was, of course, sunset when he had come. And this was one of the memories that she was a hundred percent sure she would never forget.

_It was almost September the first and Arianna still hadn't paid much thought to the absurd letter when the unthinkable happened. She had been sitting on her porch at the time, reading silently as the gentle breeze kept her cool on that hot summers day. With the faint cry of a bird and the silent noise of the girl turning the pages of her book, all was normal. That is of course until a somewhat loud "pop" emitted from seemingly out of nowhere._

_Arianna looked up from her book, surveying the land around her and was shocked to see a plump man in what appeared to be robes. Was that a cloak he was also wearing? Stranger yet, he did not seem to have been anywhere near the vicinity just a few seconds ago and he was staring straight at her. She immediately turned, intent on calling out for her father to deal with this strange man but before a word came out of her mouth, he stumbled forwards and cried out, "NO!"_

"_Don't be scared," the man insisted. It was a bit late for that but out of curiosity, Arianna refrained from asking her father to come. _

"_You are Arianna Carden?" the man inquired in an exasperated tone. Evidently, he did not want to be there at the present moment._

_Arianna let out a small "yes"._

"_Yes, well, I'm Professor Slughorn," the man introduced himself. "Normally, Hagrid would be out here to fetch you but apparently matters came up. Dumbledore couldn't seem to find anyone else free to do the job so here I am."_

_The girl remembered reading that Dumbledore was Headmaster of that school which she had gotten the acceptance letter for but the first name had not rung a bell._

"_Hagrid?" she asked. Professor Slughorn seemed surprised at first before realization dawned on him._

"_Oh yes. Of course you don't know. Muggle borns…" he muttered. "Hagrid is the gameskeeper at Hogwarts. Most students are particularly fond of him, that's why he's usually the one sent out to get the Muggleborns who don't believe in us."_

_Arianna furrowed her eyebrows. Surely this was a joke?_

"_So there really is such a thing? Magic, I mean. And a school to teach it?"_

_Professor Slughorn appeared slightly amused, though somewhat irritated now. "Of course there is, darling!" He let out a loud laugh. Arianna couldn't help but feel that he was laughing at her. He then pulled out his wand from his pocket and pointed it at his hand. He muttered something that Arianna couldn't quite catch and her eyes became wide as a bouquet of flowers suddenly appeared out of nowhere. _

"_For you, m'dear," Professor Slughorn held out the flowers for her to take. _

"_Th- thank you," she said disbelievingly as she took the gift that was offered to her. Immediately she got a quick whiff of the roses that she held and concluded that they were in fact real._

"_So I'm really going to this place? What was it? Hogwarts, did the letter say?"_

_The professor beamed. "Well of course you are! They wouldn't have sent me all the way out here if you weren't!"_

"_Wow," was all that Arianna could bring herself to say. The overwhelming information had not all clicked in her brain just yet._

Now here she was, a week later, and she still couldn't exactly grasp the reality of it all. She had gotten her parents to agree in letting her go and had even paid a trip down Diagon Alley and yet the truth still hadn't sunk in. She was now sitting, waiting patiently for Professor Slughorn to appear to her once more so as to check that she had gotten all of her things and that she knew where to go and what to do the following day.

Just then, a loud "pop" was heard and she looked up expectantly and saw the professor standing there once again. He did not stay very long, saying that he had other Muggleborn first years to attend to and checked that everything was indeed there. Afterwards, he explained that Platform Nine and Three Quarters was at King's Cross Station and told her exactly how to get there. Then, with a final goodbye and not waiting for her to say her goodbye's back, he disapparated again, leaving her there staring at the place where he had just been in mild shock.

The next day came by fairly quickly after that. Arianna felt that everything passed in a blur. Once she was at King's Cross Station, she couldn't even remember what she had had for breakfast or how she had even gotten up that morning. Panic then started to fill her just before her and her family entered Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Professor Slughorn had explained to her how most pure-blooded wizarding families looked down upon Muggle-borns. They thought that there was no place for such filth in the wizarding community and this made Arianna tremendously nervous. She was afraid that she would never fit in at such a place with that kind of discrimination. She feared that she wouldn't become friends with anyone and would soon want to come back to her comfortable home.

Soon, King's Cross Station became Platform Nine and Three Quarters which soon turned to a compartment I nthe back of the Hogwarts Express. She was so nervous, almost petrified. Even if she had gone through some of her textbooks already, hoping to learn even a bit before school started so as not to make her look like even more of an idiot, she was still a pasty white. She had almost not let go of her parents when they were saying their goodbyes and only got on the train when her older brother who was 14 started teasing her and calling her a coward.

With a situation such as this, it seemed as if every wizard, skilled in Divination or not, could predict what would become of Arianna at Hogwarts. They would say that she would manage fairly well with her studies but would become an outcast. With her shy ways, she wouldn't really befriend anybody and that every pure-blooded wizard, or any wizard at all for that matter, would taunt her. But if they made that prediction, they would be sorely wrong because by choosing to sit in that compartment, she sealed her fate of befriending the four boys who would soon name themselves the Marauders and she would somehow capture, torture, and mangle the heart of one Sirius Black.


	2. Unconditional Love

**Orange Skies:  
Unconditional Love**

_I'm going home,  
Back to the place where I belong,  
And where your love has always been enough for me.  
_Home - Chris Daughtry

Crowds of bustling students made their way through the corridor of the Hogwarts Express, which at that very moment was billowing so much steam that barely anyone could make out what was happening at the outside of the train. As hundreds of kids milled around trying to find a compartment for them and their friends alone, two girls sat lounging comfortably near the very end of the train. One of these girls was sweeping her brown, almost red, medium-length hair into a messy ponytail while a sixteen year old Arianna Carden glanced lazily out the door, awaiting her other friends.

"Brilliant of you to come early, Katie," she mumbled, her eyes still lingering out the corridor. "Thank the gods we don't have to share a compartment with arrogant Slytherin prats like last year."

Caitlin Hurst snorted. "Thank the gods? Ari, you should be thanking me. You know, the one out of all of us who thought of getting her ass up early to save us all a compartment to ourselves?"

"Yes, her too," Arianna grinned at one of her best friends.

Caitlin rolled her striking blue eyes. "Just be glad I had some coffee this morning. I have no idea how I managed to get myself out of bed at all really."

Arianna gave her a look. "Didn't you say your mom put a floating spell on you, made you drift all around the house and lifted the charm right when you were above your pool?"

The other brunette made a face. "Oh yeah. Nice of her."

"Certainly it was," Arianna said brightly.

"Says the girl who got to sleep until 10," Caitlin said reproachfully.

Arianna rolled her eyes. Of the whole five years that she knew her, Caitlin was never a morning person. She could sleep until four in the afternoon if she wanted to. Of course, her and her other girl best friend, Lily Evans, never let that happen once. Caitlin had come close a few times, but by 3:30, the other two made sure that they were bouncing on her bed and yelling in her ear.

A lot had changed since Arianna's first time in the Hogwarts Express. No longer was she a nervous and shy Muggle-born first year anymore. It was lucky of her to choose the compartment that she did that fateful day. After just a few minutes of sitting there by her lonesome, two girls had entered the compartment and introduced themselves as Lily Evans and Caitlin Hurst. Arianna was delighted to find that Lily was also born into a Muggle family and got along with the both of them from the very beginning.

Shortly after the two girls had entered the cabin, four boys had appeared also. They were all beaming first years, clearly excited for the approaching year at Hogwarts. All of them had an air of mischief about them. Clearly, some things never change.

"Did I just see two beautiful girls entering this compartment, James?" a dark haired boy asked one of his companions. Even then, Sirius Black had been girl-obsessed and quite the charmer.

"I think so, Sirius," a boy with unruly hair and glasses responded. "And look! They've seem to have found another beauty!"

The third boy rolled his eyes as they entered the cabin. "Don't mind them much. Gits."

The girls laughed, amused by their sudden companions. Their friendships seemed to be inevitable. All seven had been sorted into Gryffindor that night and ever since then, they were all inseparable. Five years seemed like a long time to the average person, but if you were in the company of these seven, it passed by fairly quickly. Time had went unnoticed by them as they all grew closer, the bonds on their relationships getting stronger. They were all so different and yet so much alike. No one questioned their loyalty and unconditional love for one another anymore. Everyone knew that if you messed with one, you messed with them all and with all of them being brilliant witches and cunning, devious wizards, that was something to be afraid of.

Now it goes without saying that even the closest friendships have had their rocky situations, theirs being no exception. The first time that James had confessed to taking a liking to Lily, everyone was a bit afraid. Firstly, they didn't want one of their friends to get hurt, especially by someone else so close to them. They knew that Lily didn't think of James that way and even if she changed her mind, they were scared that if something went wrong between them, their friendship would be forever ruined.

Then of course, being growing teenagers, there came a time when they all became fully aware of the opposite sex. Sirius, of course, wasted no time in the dating department, having a new "girlfriend" practically every week starting their fourth year. Everyone had had some experience in dating, even Peter, and there was a time in their lives when they seemed to be slowly falling apart due to the fact that they would always put their boyfriends and girlfriends first. And even they couldn't help but fight with one another once in a while. But even through that, they seemed to always manage to work it out.

Now they were all about to start their sixth year at Hogwarts. Arianna changed over the past five years in tremendous ways. The change that seemed to catch everyone's attention the most, especially the boys, was her appearance. Arianna had vibrant blue eyes and dark-brown hair which she had grown somewhat long. She was no longer as scrawny as she was before and had filled out in all the right places. She also knew how to dress to accentuate this change. She had also grown somewhat taller than when she first started Hogwarts and now stood at around 5"6. But one thing that would never change was her beaming smile.

Her personality had developed also. She wasn't as shy and timid anymore. She would now be able to strike up a conversation with almost anybody and had very many friends despite the sarcasm that she had. With that, she undoubtedly caught the attention of many boys at school but she took no notice of it, because she would be too busy spending time with those people that truly mattered to her.

The sudden loud whistle coming from the train that signalled its departure was soon coming shook the sixteen year old out of her thoughts.

"Ah, came in just in time then," a grinning Sirius said as he entered the compartment in his usual cocky stature. The years had done good to him. If you thought he was cute in his first year at Hogwarts, you would be downright blind if you didn't think that he was simply gorgeous now. At least, if you were a girl.

The pure-blood had an athlete's body. All those years of Quidditch toned him well and now, he was fairly muscular. He still had his messy dark hair and swirling blue-grey eyes and had now found a trademark lopsided smirk that seemed to get him any girl. That is, any girl except the only three that he had actually made a real relationship with.

Sirius placed himself right in between Caitlin and Arianna. He wore his smirk proudly as he put his arms on either side of them. "My two favourite girls!" he exclaimed.

Arianna raised her eyebrows as Caitlin proceeded to question him. "Favourite girls? Now what happened to that girl over the summer? Whatserrname, Sheila?"

Sirius wore a look of confusion for a moment until he remembered the girl that he had a summer fling with. Well, one of the girls. "Oh, Sheila was gone long ago. Things were going rocky already and then Michelle came along. You know I have a weakness for blondes."

"You have a weakness for anything that has boobs," Arianna said in a teasing way.

Sirius contorted his face to show mock hurt. "Now that, my dear Ari, is not true! I've never flirted with Louise Grant in my life!"

"Okay, you have a weakness for any girl decent looking enough," Caitlin said. "Not much of a difference."

"So you two had a good summer then?" Sirius asked, clearly wanting to change the subject.

"Oh, brilliant summer. I got to visit my brother Nick in Italy. Their gelato is divine! So are many of the boys there," Arianna gushed.

"Psh. Nothing compares to my summer. It was amazing. I got to sleep in for two months straight!" Caitlin said excitedly.

Her friends rolled their eyes at her. She was a crazed sleeper, that Caitlin was.

"Where's everyone else, Sirius?" Caitlin asked, choosing to ignore the eye rolls aimed at her.

"Oh, well of course our lovely Lily went to the prefect cabin, along with Moony. Jamesickle and Petey are out there somewhere saying goodbye to their dear parents."

"And what? You didn't stay long enough to say buhbye to your dear mummy?" Arianna teased. She knew how much Sirius hated his parents because of their pure-blood pride. They started to hate Sirius just as much when they found out that he had befriended Arianna and Lily, who they insisted on calling "those Mudbloods".

Sirius gave a hollow laugh. "I don't think they mind much. Besides they have dear Regulus to suck up to them."

Regulus was the shining star of the Black family. Not only did he get into Slytherin, but he also detested every one of the people that Sirius had befriended, earning him the loving attention that his family gave. It was no doubt that he would follow in their footsteps and become a full-fledged Muggleborn hating, Dark Arts loving Black.

"Now what would they ever do without their prized son? They'd probably kill themselves if they only had you as their child, Padfoot."

"I wish they would anyways," the boy muttered.

Just then, the messy-haired, tall, well built, and glasses wearing appearance of James Potter appeared at the compartment entrance.

"Geez, mum's been acting like she won't see me again for years. You'd think after five years she'd get used to this," the boy said begrudgingly. He wore an exasperated look on his face but once he saw Arianna and Caitlin, he grinned. "Hey there cuties."

"I'm flattered that you think I'm cute, Jamesie, but don't you think it's kind of awkward for one boy to say to another that he thinks he's cute? Especially since we have such a close friendship, I wouldn't want to ruin anything," Sirius said before any of the girls responded.

"Woah now, James. Now what happened to Lily? Finally given up on her?" Arianna said after she had finished laughing. James glared.

"Nah, I was only kidding," Sirius said, giving his best friend a loving shove. "The guy's still head over heels in love."

"That's good. I think she's this close to caving, James," Caitlin said.

James' face lit up again. "Really? Did she mention me at all this summer? What did she say?"

Both girls laughed again. "Woah, slow down boy. I see Sirius wasn't lying. You're still madly in love. That's sweet," Arianna added the last part when James glared at her again seeming to think that she was teasing him.

"I'm just saying, she seems to have warmed up to you more at the end of last year. I wouldn't be surprised when one of these days she comes running to me and Ari confessing her undying love for you," Katie explained.

James now wore a smug expression on his face. "See? I told you I'd get her to like me one of these days. And all of you teased me for liking her all these years…"

"Well we never said that we knew for sure that she likes you. Just a hunch. All the same, congratulations Jamesie," Caitlin said while grinning.

"Hi guys," an out of breath Peter Pettigrew said now entering the cabin. He was a bit different than the other Marauders, not quite as tall. In fact, he was downright short. And plump for that matter. And he always seemed to have this nervous look plastered all over his face. Nonetheless, Arianna couldn't help but love him just as much as she loved the other boys. He was always so nice to her, and sweet in an odd sort of way.

The train gave a sudden lurch as it started to move forwards. "My mum let me go just in time. I almost didn't make it into the train."

"Glad you made it, Petey," Arianna said, giving him a bright smile as he place himself in front of her. Peter turned a slight shade of pink, embarrassed. He wasn't really used to girls being nice to him, not even Caitlin, Arianna, or Lily, which was pretty sad if you thought about it.

"So how did everyone do on their OWLS?" Caitlin inquired. Arianna could tell that she had been itching to ask this question ever since she had stepped foot into the compartment. Of course, Caitlin would have one of the highest marks in their group alongside Remus and Lily. Sure enough, when Caitlin recited her marks, everyone was slightly impressed, but no one was surprised. She had gotten nothing bellow Exceeds Expectations.

"Brilliant, Katie! I only failed two, History off Magic and Divination. Actually managed to fall asleep in the History of Magic exam," James said. Roars of laughter ensued. "Well, I couldn't help it! I was staying up all night practising for Transfiguration. Who needs those two subjects anyways?" he said defensively.

"True. I got pretty much all the same marks as Prongs," Sirius said grinning.

"Really? I'm proud of you guys!," Arianna said happily. "I only failed History of Magic. And I got four OWLS! Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, and Herbology."

"Congrats, Ria!" Sirius said using another one of the nicknames they had for the girl. "I always knew that you had some smarts somewhere deep down in you."

Arianna made a face. "Are you saying you think I'm dumb?"

"I think you said it for me!" Sirius replied. With that, he got up and ran out of the compartment door, making sure that it was firmly closed after he got out. He knew full well that if Arianna came close enough, she would start wringing his neck. As if knowing what he was thinking, her voice carried out through that door and into the corridor.

"Sirius Black, I swear when you come back in here I'll --"

"You'll what?" Sirius interrupted. "Smother me with kisses? Admit it, Ari, you know you wanna! No woman can resist this manly figure!" And just for dramatic purposes, he posed there out in the hallway, giving his most devilishly handsome gaze.

Arianna glared. She hated how annoying he got sometimes. He was so vain and pompous. And yet he was right. She had never met a girl who didn't turn their head for a better look at Sirius as he walked by.

"You arrogant, self-obsessed, basta-"

Sirius had opened the door and swiftly walked back inside and lightly shoved Arianna up against the wall. He then proceeded to press himself up against her so that their bodies were touching, sharing their body heat which had increased due to Sirius' sudden change of mood. He gazed down and his eyes met hers immediately. There was a blazing look on his face and Arianna suddenly felt uncomfortable at his unabashed scrutiny at her.

"What? Bastard?" he asked her, his voice husky. "Tell me right now that you don't like being this close to me." There was a slight pause.

"Can't do it, can ya?"

His gaze softened, He let his grip on her relax and he backed away, replacing his blazing look with his traditional smirk and took back his seat. Arianna stood there, slightly pink from the incident that had just happened. She hated of he could turn from funny, to annoying, to arrogant, to sexy in less than a minute. It had to be some sort of record.

"What was that, mate?" James asked with eyebrows raised. Everyone else in the compartment had gone silent, undoubtedly shocked by their friend's actions. They were used to seeing him put the charm on but certainly not to one of his best girl friends. Even if he did flirt with them unconsciously.

Sirius shrugged. "Just showing that even if I do seem arrogant, I'm only using my looks to my advantage. What guy wouldn't want a girl to be like that after just a few mere seconds with them?" He gestured at Arianna who had now sat down again but was still flushed.

"Huh. Thanks for the demonstration, Padfoot," Arianna said, the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

Sirius grinned wolfishly and leaned down to whisper in her ear. His voice had turned husky once more. "You know you liked it."

Arianna gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "You're a git."

"And yet you still love me," Sirius spoke without hesitation and an air of finality. Arianna opened her mouth to give a witty respond but just shut her mouth just as quickly. She couldn't deny it. She _did _love him. Maybe not in the way he was implying just then but it was true.

The conversation then steered away from that particular subject and the friends started to discuss what had happened to them over the summer. Arianna gushed about her summer fling with a man named Cristiano while James proudly showed them all the letters that he and Lily had been writing back and forth with each other during the break.

"If she doesn't become careful, she's going to be falling for you fast and hard," Caitlin said, winking at James.

"Well then lets hope she becomes a daredevil," James replied happily.

The day wore on and soon after lunch, Lily and Remus joined the others after their prefect duties of patrolling the hall. After big hello's and bear hugs to greet the two, the friends went back to their conversations and games of exploding snap but no one could mask the tiredness all of them felt. Being used to the summer, they were all very sleepy from having to get up that morning much earlier than usual. Soon, everyone was sprawled around the compartment, their heads on each other's shoulders and arms placed all over the place.

The only two left awake around 2 in the afternoon were Sirius and Arianna. They were both gazing at James and Lily. James was at the corner of the seat opposite them and Lily had fallen asleep with her head on his lap, the rest of her body laying on the seat with her legs on top of the sleeping Peter's lap. They were undeniably cute and both Sirius and Arianna wished that they would get together as soon as possible. Caitlin had also fallen asleep quite close to a Marauder. Her head lay resting on Remus' shoulder and even when Remus' head was against the window, he had his arms tightly wrapped around her waist. This left Arianna also having her head on Sirius' shoulder as she sat putting all her weight against him. Sirius was playing with her dark brown hair as they whispered to each other in conversation so as not to wake anyone up.

"I think we should set them up," Sirius was saying.

Arianna thought it over for a minute. "Nah," She replied. "We'll let them try to sort it out for themselves for now. But if they're not together by Christmas then we must simply put matters into our own hands, shouldn't we?"

Sirius laughed. "Yes, we should. But knowing James, wooing a girl isn't really his forte. Maybe we should start planning now."

Arianna rolled her eyes. "You know just because you're a womanizer, Black, doesn't mean you're the only one allowed to be charming to a girl for once. Let him try to figure something out for himself."

"Kay fine then. Just cause you asked me to, Ari," he winked.

"Should I feel special?" Arianna asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Of course you should. There's no other girl more special than you."

"And how many times have I heard you use that line?"

"I don't use it that much."

"Nah. Just to about every girl you've ever been with. I always wonder why they always seem to fall for it."

"I know what girls want to hear."

"So you say it, even though it's a complete lie?" she asked.

"They don't seem to mind."

"Sure. When you say it. But they mind a lot when after just two days you find another girl to snog in that broom cupboard of yours. What I don't get is why after years of acting like that, they still seem surprised that you ditch them."

"Ari," his tone was getting serious.

"Seriously though, Black. It's fine for now. I know we're just teenagers and everything so I guess it's alright for you to be playing the field. But it's not going to help you out in the long run."

Sirius' eyes turned away from the girl and glanced somewhat dreamily out into the hall. She seemed to have hit a nerve. "I know. But I can't seem to stop."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Don't choke now."

It was their first night back in Hogwarts and clearly the boys had missed the feast that was always held after they got off the Hogwarts Express. James and Sirius were already stuffing their faces with chicken, steak, and potatoes while Remus and Peter were hurriedly filling their plates to the brim with the delicious food. The girls just sat staring at them, refusing to believe that these boys who were acting like pigs were actually their friends.

"I don't get how you could stuff so much food in your mouth at once," Caitlin said with awe at James.

"I bet they put some kind of spell in their mouth to let all that food fit," Lily said.

"Eee di noh!" Sirius said while trying to swallow the food that he had shoved into his mouth.

The girls just laughed and turned, now deciding to put food on their plates as well. It hadn't even been a minute ago that Dumbledore finished his speech (with his usual assortment of wacky words) and already the boys were halfway done their dinner.

"Sirius you seem… down," Lily mentioned as dessert came on about half an hour later. The others, who were all busy tasting the treacle tart, turned to look at the boy, who now barely lifted his head up.

"What do you expect? I'm bloody tired. Someone had to stay awake to wake everyone up when we were near Hogwarts," Sirius muttered.

Arianna blushed guiltily. She had promised Sirius that she would stay awake with him during the train ride to keep him company but her tiredness had overwhelmed her and soon, she was just as much asleep as the rest of them.

"Sorry," she said, smiling apologetically. He smiled back at her.

"S'ok, love. Just promise you won't ever fall asleep on me again, k? It'll give the girls a bad impression. Make them think I'm boring."

Doesn't he ever think of anything but food and girls?

"So, James, are those dungbombs set for the year?"

Right. Of course. How could she forget his pranking?

The night wore on and after the feast, everyone had set out to their common rooms. Gryffindor was a mad house. A party seemed to have started right when the first person set their foot into the common room. Everyone was yelling and greeting each other, cracking jokes and starting up games of exploding snap. Lily, Arianna, Caitlin, Remus, Peter, and James started chatting brightly with everyone, even though it had started to get late. Their little afternoon nap had refreshed everyone immensely. And even though Sirius had not had the chance to sleep, Arianna couldn't help but see him stay for the festivities and flirting with a couple of Gryffindor fifth-years. Out of the corner of her eye, she also saw James and Lily starting up another one of their arguments. No doubt about something childish. She sighed and gave a wistful smile as she turned back to her conversation with Caitlin and another person who shared their dorm, Samantha.

"So, Ari, since you were raised by Muggles, you go to movies regularly over the summer, right?" Sam was saying.

"Oh, well sometimes. Why?" Arianna said.

"Well I just saw this movie a few weeks ago. It was awesome! There were so many fight scenes in it and the explosion at the end was fantastic!" Sam explained excitedly.

Both Arianna and Caitlin rolled their eyes. Samantha was a crazy one. Being one of the shortest sixth-years that they knew and with a smile always on her face, Samantha seemed sweet and girly, which she was. But there was this whole other side of her that had taken an interest in Muggle weapons such as a gun or bombs. Arianna and Caitlin couldn't find an explanation to why she had become so interested in this topic, but it didn't worry them in the least. They knew that Sam wouldn't hurt even a tiny fly. Somehow, they suspected that she was too small to even try.

"Why are we friends with her?" Arianna leaned in and muttered to Caitlin.

"I have no clue. I ask that question almost everyday," Caitlin answered back.

"That's because I'm wickedly cool and bloody awesome!" Sam, who had heard the exchange from the other two, said while beaming.

"Somehow that's true and not true at the same time," Arianna said while laughing. While doing so, she felt a sudden warmth spread inside her whole body. She had missed having these kinds of conversations with her friends over the holidays. She was free to be just her again and with a loud, calm sigh, she couldn't help but be relieved that she was home once again.


	3. Persistent Denial

**A/N:** Yay! Another chapter done:) This must the quickest I've ever written! Haha. 3 updates 3 days in a row.. wow. Anyways, please **Read&Review!** Thanks again :)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. Plain and simple.

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**Orange Skies:  
Persistent Denial**

_Oh, dear, it's been hardly three days  
And I'm longing to feel your embrace.  
There are several days  
Until I can see your sweet face.  
Oh say, wouldn't you like to be older and married with me  
Oh say, wouldn't it be nice to know right now that we'll be  
Someday holding hands in the end  
All our broken plans will have been  
I will kiss you soft so you know  
It is love from the first  
Time I pressed my lips against yours  
Thinking oh is it love?_  
Oh, It Is Love - Hellogoodbye

"Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me."

The Gryffindor tower's sixth-year girls' dormitory was completely deserted, it seemed, but for two ladies, one with radiant red hair and bright green eyes and the other with long, brunette hair and deep blue eyes. Morning after the traditional welcome-back feast had come way too early for any of them but they somehow managed to get up and get ready before they were late for breakfast. Nonetheless, the dorm was already empty when they had woken up, the other girls having already went down to the Great Hall.

"Let me sleep in or I'll hex you into next week," mumbled what seemed to be a red lump laying atop a four-poster bed. It moved around a little as if trying to find as much of a comfortable position as a lump could get then returned to it's still posture. A sigh was heard all around the dormitory while a pair for hands took hold of curtains and pulled them wide open to allow the sunshine into the room.

"Up and at 'em, girlie!" Arianna clapped at the red lump figure that was Caitlin then proceeded to jump on top of her. A groan emitted from under the covers.

"How often will you torture me like this?"

"Everyday if we have to," Lily said solemnly, joining her friend by sitting on top of the brunette.

Another groan. "You two are prats who have no respect for one's desire to sleep soundly!"

"I'm glad you think that," Arianna said calmly. "Now get up or we'll send another house elf up here and set him loose on you. Remember what happened last time we gave them orders to get you up?"

"You wouldn't."

"Oh yes we would," Lily said. "Besides, we're doing you a favour, really. By getting you to get up on time then we're preventing you from being late to your classes which then prevents you from getting a detention."

There was a pause. Then, "Oh, what thoughtful, caring friends you are. Alright, I'm up, ok? No chance of getting back to sleep now with you two on my case. Now will you please just GET OFF?!"

"Oh, touchy."

"Someone needs her happy pills today."

"No need for that. You think we can just charm her into being a grateful friend?"

"She should be glad there's no pool around. Otherwise we would have pulled a Mrs. Hurst on her."

The girls could practically hear Caitlin roll her eyes from under the covers. Then with a mighty shove, she pushed off her two best friends from on top of her and once she surfaced out of her covers, she gave them both a death glare.

"Just so you know, you're going to be dealing with a very unhappy Caitlin this morning," she said indignantly.

"Don't worry. We deal with a very unhappy Caitlin every morning, We're used to it," Arianna said brightly.

"Now you really should do something about your look, Katie. I mean, we love you and all but if you show up in the Great Hall looking like that, we have no problem in pretending that we don't know you," Lily said, commenting on Caitlin's appearance. Her hair was all over the place, she sat slightly slouched, and her eyes were drooping. There were unmistakeable dark circles under them. She looked completely dishevelled.

"Honestly? I'm too tired to care," Caitlin muttered.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Fine then," she said. Muttering a few spells, Lily pointed her wand at Caitlin and with a few swift flicks, Caitlin's hair was neatly brushed and tied half-up half-down and a bit of makeup was applied on her face.

"Now brighten up, sunshine, and get changed into your robes and then you'll be presentable again!" Arianna said, pinching Caitlin's cheeks as if she were a five year-old.

"Bloody morning people," Caitlin mumbled as she half-heartedly got out of bed and took hold of her school robes that the other two had laid out for her. She had just finished pulling the robes over her head when Arianna and Lily grabbed her hand and half-dragged her out of the dormitory.

"Oh I just love sharing a dorm with you two! It's always oh so much fun!"

"Drop the sarcasm, hun, you're not gonna make us feel bad," Arianna said.

The Great Hall was already buzzing with students when the three entered. They seemed to be one of the last to get in. Having spotted James and Sirius from a mile away, no doubt because of their usual morning antics, they took their seats next to the four Marauders, who were already halfway done their meal and had gotten their timetables from Professor McGonagall.

"Good morning, ladies," Remus said.

"Yeah, good morning for you. You guys didn't have these two lunatics literally jumping on your back," Caitlin muttered.

"Awh, brighten up, buttercup. It's a glorious day!" Sirius remarked.

Arianna looked up at the enchanted ceiling. Dark grey clouds were swirling above and the unmistakable noise of booming thunder could be heard. She sighed, the tiredness now coming back to her and she knew it was going to be a very long day.

"Glorious day? For who? If you haven't noticed, there's a thunderstorm going on outside," Lily said.

"I didn't say it was a glorious day for weather! I meant it's a glorious day for pranking!" Sirius said.

"Padfoot, with us, it's always a glorious day for pranking," James said while shaking his head.

"Precisely," Sirius grinned.

"So Lily…" James said, placing himself beside the red-haired girl and putting his arm around her.

A sigh came out of her lips. "No, Potter, I will not go out with you."

James raised his eyebrows. "Now what makes you think I was going to ask you that?"

Arianna turned, trying to block out the sound of her friends' voices. She knew that in just about ten seconds, James and Lily would be having another row again. Didn't that boy ever learn? Lily was going to say no to him so long as he didn't start being creative in his plots to ask her out. You would think that with him being a Marauder, he would be clever enough to show Lily in a creative fashion that he really truly cared for her. That no other girl would be good enough.

Remus, who was sitting beside her, caught her eye and grinned. After, he just looked away and turned back to the book that he had been casually reading before the girls had arrived. Somehow, Arianna knew that this was his way of telling her not to worry. That James had a plan. She only hoped that it would be a good one. But knowing James, she feared the worst, thinking that it would all blow up in his face somehow. She hated to see him get rejected by Lily time and again, but she knew that there was a simple solution to his problems. What the solution was, she didn't know, but if only he stopped being such an arrogant prat around her, then maybe, just maybe, she would see him the way everyone else did. Head over heels completely in love and devoted to one red-headed, brilliant girl.

"You know, by the way they argue like that, it seems as if they're already married," Caitlin said as James and Lily's voices grew louder and louder through some heated discussion.

"James and Lily married? I'm not denying it will happen, but it'll be a long, long,_ long_ time before he convinces her," Sirius said.

"Just as long as he does convince her, I have no problem with that," Arianna replied while biting off a piece of buttered croissant.

Professor McGonagall then came hurrying over to the three Gryffindor girls. "I need to make your timetables, dears. Would you mind showing your OWL results?"

Arianna reached for her pocket to grab the piece of parchment which had her OWLS on it. She handed it over the her Head of House and when asked which career she thought she would want to take, she thought it over for a moment.

'Actually, Professor, I haven't really decided yet. I just want to keep my options open for now. So would it be okay if I just dropped History of Magic and Divination?"

Professor McGonagall took a glance at her OWLS. She had gotten nothing bellow Exceeds Expectations except for those two subjects. "Very well, Miss Carden," McGonagall gave a curt nod before tapping her wand on a slip of paper. There, Arianna's busy timetable appeared.

"I've got a free period after lunch," she said once Lily and Caitlin had gotten their timetables also. They peered over to her sheet of paper and cried out jubilantly.

"We have all our classes together!" Lily exclaimed.

"That's brilliant," Caitlin added.

Arianna shook her head. "Not so brilliant. Our first class for Arithmancy is in 10 minutes. We better hurry or else we'll be late." As she said this, she looked at Caitlin as if it was her fault that they had to hurry up with breakfast. Technically, since Caitlin was as stubborn as a mule about getting up early in the morning, it _was_ her fault, but no one needed to say this out loud. She knew full well that it was.

The boys, who now had a free period, watched amusedly as the girls tried to eat all of their breakfast quickly before having to rush up to one of the classrooms. They were just about to wave goodbye to the Marauders when it looked like James took it upon himself to say goodbye to Lily. Wrapping his arms around her waist tightly, he started to nibble softly on her right ear while swaying the both of them back and forth. This caused Lily to go a brilliant shade of red, almost matching the colour of her hair.

"Get off me, Potter," she managed to stutter out.

"Now, Evans, you're gonna have to say that nicely," James muttered in her hear with a big smile on his face. It was apparent that he was enjoying himself.

The others watched as Lily tried to control her anger. They couldn't help but realized that she looked a bit frazzled and flustered, not knowing what to say to him next. They knew that she would never ask him politely. No, that would mean giving up all of her principles. She had spent a great deal of her life trying to reject and taunt the only boy that ever truly loved her and she was not about to just give up now. Not even if it meant being late for class for once in her life.

"And how exactly would you define 'nicely', Potter?" Lily asked.

James seemed to think it over for a moment, but no one was fooled by his act. They all knew that he had an answer ready the day he first met her. "How about a quick kiss then, love?"

Lily turned to him, with a sickly sweet smile plastered on her face. "So, that's the only thing that would get you to let go of me?" she asked.

"The only thing."

"Alright then. Close your eyes." No one dared to move. It seemed as if the whole world were put on a Pause and the only people not affected by it were James and Lily. Arianna had an incredulous look on her face. Surely Lily would never kiss James? This was some sort of trap, a plan Lily came up with to get him to let go of her… right?

And yet there Lily was, slowly inching her face closer and closer to that of James'. Their lips were only inches apart and if there was some punch line to a joke that no one had been in on, Arianna was sure that it would come now. But no punch line came. Instead, the crushing blow of the sight of Lily's and James' lips colliding caused everyone in the near vicinity to stare dumbfounded.

It lasted only seconds. But those seconds were euphoria to James. When Lily slowly pulled back, he tried to pull her back in for another kiss but she took his surprise to her advantage and managed to wiggle out from under his grasp. "You said a quick kiss, Potter. Not two quick kisses and certainly no snog session. Now, if you don't mind, I have Arithmancy with the girls, thank you."

That was when the three girls stalked off, leaving a very pleased yet thunderstruck James to be congratulated by his best mates who were just as surprised as he was. Arianna could not get the look of sheer happiness etched all over James' face when Lily pulled back out of the kiss out of her head.

"What was _that_, Lily?" Caitlin asked when the boys were out off ear shot.

"Yeah, Lil. I never thought you of all people would cave to James' antics just like that. And may I be so bold to say that you seemed to have actually_ liked_ it!" Arianna added.

Lily, who was now very flushed, waved a hand as if trying to brush off her friends' comments. "That was nothing. I just really wanted him to leave me alone. I'm not in any mood to argue with him any more this morning. One argument per breakfast is enough." she said airily.

The other two were not convinced. During the whole of Arithmancy class, they gave their companion fleeting looks and found that she seemed to be smiling a bit more and a lot bigger than usual. They were certain that she had completely fallen for one James Potter and that she had no idea just how deep in she was.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"God, two classes in and we already have to do two essays, plus practice two new charms!" Caitlin complained as she, Arianna, Lily, Sirius, Peter, and Remus sat lounging on the comfortable chairs and couches of Gryffindor tower. It was after lunch and the gang had some time to relax during a free period before they had to start with double Potions. Well, relax wasn't really the word since they had all, except for Sirius and James, decided to get started on one of the assignments that their teachers had given them.

"Well we wouldn't have to practice if someone here didn't set Flitwick's hair on fire!" Arianna said giving a sideways glance at Sirius.

He gave them all an apologetic smile. "Flick then jab not jab then flick. You'd think it would be easy to remember," he said, shaking his head as he did so.

"It is easy to remember, Sirius. Your brain is just too small to keep all that information stored," Arianna replied while scrawling in the title of her essay on a piece of parchment. _The Legimatus Charm and Twenty Ways to Misuse It._

"Oh, clever aren't we?"

"I'm simply just amazing with my witty remarks," Arianna grinned.

"And oh so modest," Sirius said rolling his eyes.

"Of course."

"What _are_ the twenty ways to misuse the legimatus charm? Did Flitwick even say?" Caitlin asked while scratching her head.

"He pretty much said three ways to use them. The rest is in the textbook somewhere," Lily said as she gazed dreamily out the window. She had been the only one so far that had not complained because of the amount of homework that they had been given. No doubt this was because of the sudden kiss that she shared with James earlier that day.

"Still thinking about Prongs, I see," Remus remarked when he saw the look in her eyes.

"Am not!" Lily said.

"You know I read somewhere that if you're being defensive about liking someone then you really do truly like them," Caitlin said while skim reading through her charms textbook.

"I'm not being defensive," Lily said, to which everyone snorted.

"Oh, honey, you've been defensive since the very first day you met James," Arianna said.

"Speaking of 'ol Prongsie, where's he been? He'd have loved to hear this conversation," Sirius said with a glint in his eye.

"Oh yes, because this is such a wonderful chat," Lily said sarcastically.

"For us it is," Peter said as he scratched his head while thinking of a way to start his essay.

'I think he mentioned something about going down to the kitchens," Remus said.

"Didn't we just have lunch?" Arianna questioned.

"Yeah, well he's such a pig that he probably couldn't wait to get his hands on more food," Lily remarked.

"See, this is exactly what we mean bout being defensive. You know, you're just like him. He's being persistent about trying to get you to finally be with him and you're being persistent about being a stuck up prat and ignoring every sweet thing he does for you," Caitlin snapped. Apparently, waking her up in the morning also affected her mood in the afternoon.

"What has he ever done that was sweet?"

"There was the time he took you for a picnic out by the lake on your birthday."

"Or that time he brought you all those Honeyduke sweets when you couldn't go to Hogsmeade because you were sick."

"And remember that one night when he duelled Regulus because he had called you a Mudblood?"

Lily glanced wearily at her friends. She knew they were right. _Of course_ they were right. James Potter wasn't the arrogant, cocky first year that she had befriended anymore. Well, yes he was but he had toned it down just a little. But she still couldn't picture the two of them going on a date, not to mention becoming boyfriend/girlfriend. That was just absurd. They were friends for god's sake! What happened if something went wrong and then their friendship got ruined? She would never be able to live with herself if that happened. As annoying as he was, she didn't want to lose him as a friend. Not ever. But she couldn't help but think that right now, their friendship was the only thing keeping her from taking their relationship to the next level and turning it into something more.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arianna and Sam sat staring at their simmering cauldron. Double Potions in the NEWT level proved to be as hard as the gang had thought it to be. It was their first class of the year and they had all been paired up to start the task of creating the Drought of Melancholy, which was proving to be a very difficult assignment.

"Is it supposed to be that bright shade of pink?" Samantha whispered to Arianna while glancing down at the substance before them.

'I don't think so. Melancholy isn't supposed to be that… happy. Although it's a pretty startling kind of happy, isn't it?" Arianna replied.

They both took a look at Lily and Caitlin's cauldron, which was right beside theirs since the four shared a table. Theirs was now somewhat the deep shade of blue that the potions book had described.

"How did you do that?" Sam asked exasperatedly.

"Honestly? We have no idea," Lily muttered.

"You? Lily Evans, Professor Slughorn's prized student, have no idea how you got your potion to turn out the way it did?" Arianna asked in mock shock.

"Well, I can't master every potion there is, can I?" Lily replied.

"Besides, at least ours is somewhat the right colour. How in the bloody hell did you manage to turn yours pink?" Caitlin asked.

"Honestly? We have no idea," Samantha said, copying the words that came out of Lily's mouth.

"Hey, at least none of ours is as bad as theirs," Arianna said, gesturing to James and Sirius who were placed in front of them. Their potion was now a lime green colour and it was gurgling and making awkward noises. Every now and then, some of the potion would shoot up about a metre from the cauldron. Remus and Peter who were also paired up even had to ask to be moved tables in fear of getting some of Sirius and James' potion in their cauldron or worse, on their bodies.

"We heard that!" James said without turning his head. Ever since the kissing incident during breakfast, he couldn't bring himself to look directly at Lily. The gang suspected that this was because he was afraid of how she would react to him. He had gotten a taste of what he wanted that morning and he was afraid that if he stepped one toe out of line from then on then his goal of finally getting Lily Evans would have moved back farther to where he had started again.

"And what's more, we resent it!" Sirius added.

"How did you two ever get into this NEWT class anyways?" Caitlin asked.

"With our charm and good looks," Sirius replied while grinning wolfishly.

"Because that can seriously help you with making a potion so complex such as, oh, I don't know, the Polyjuice Potion?" Lily muttered.

"Well of course it can, my dear sweet Lily. You see, to make the Polyjuice Potion successfully, you need a strand of hair from the person that you want to turn into. Now with mine and James' good looks and charming ways, we can make anyone comfortable enough to let us take a piece of their hair without suspecting anything," Sirius said.

There was a bit of a pause before the girls burst out into a fit of laughter. "There's, uh, something wrong there," Sam said in between gasping for air.

"What? With the potion? Yeah I know, thanks," Sirius said.

"No with you brain," Sam retorted.

Sirius glared at her and the other three girls but before he could throw back a witty respond, Professor Slughorn came strolling around checking on how far everyone was with their potions. "Turn around, Mr. Black," he called out.

Walking towards the girls' cauldrons, Professor Slughorn gave a nod and a small smile when he peered into Caitlin and Lily's, seeing that the potion was more than halfway complete and had been done correctly. When he looked into Arianna and Sam's, though, his smile turned from proud to sympathetic. "Stir the potion four times counter clockwise, girls, not clockwise. And I think you added one too many drops of the Sopophorous Bean juice." Arianna's mouth curved to form a slight 'o'. Slughorn didn't even bother to acknowledge James and Sirius' potion. One look at the gurgling substance and he just shook his head and continued to walk around the room.

By the time their first whole day at Hogwarts was done, the sixth years already had so much homework that could last them a whole month. That was why right after dinner, everyone retired back to their common rooms to get started on their essays and reading instead of wandering around the castle. Even the Marauders had abandoned their usual pranks and antics to get started on at least one of their essays.

"This is so asinine," Sirius muttered as he dipped his quill into ink.. "The first day back and they've already got us working like slaves!"

"This _is_ a bit ridiculous," Remus agreed which was surprising since he had always stood up for the teachers on their decisions to give them homework.

"Just think of how much pranks we could have pulled off by now if we weren't stuck here!" James added.

The girls were not in a better mood. Even though they got better marks than the boys (except for Remus) in all their subjects and rarely participated in one of the Marauders' pranks, they thought that this was unfair too. There was barely anything said to each other that night except for random complaints here and there as quills scratched onto parchment. By the time it was ten o'clock, Lily gathered up all her books huffily and got up to go to her dormitory.

"That's just about as much writing I can take for one night," she announced to the others. "I'm off to bed. You two coming?"

Arianna and Caitlin looked at each other before shutting close their own books and gathering them up. "G'night, boys," they said as they climbed up the stairs to their dorm. They heard a chorus of mumbled replies back before they turned a corner then disappeared.

"Some day," Caitlin said once they reached their dormitory and had gotten changed into their pajamas.

"Sure was. Especially that kiss, eh Lily?" Arianna said as she climbed onto her bed and crawled under the covers.

"Oh will you two shut it about that? It was nothing," Lily replied with a touch of annoyance in her voice.

"So we're calling love 'nothing' now?" Caitlin asked, also laying down on her soft bed.

"Love? This is far from love, Caitlin," Lily said indignantly.

"Lily, from all the years you've known me, you know that I'm a realist right?" Arianna asked. Then without waiting for a reply, she continued. "Well, here's the reality of your little situation. You two are absolutely perfect for each other. James has probably fallen head over heels in love with you during our first year. Now I don't know when you started to feel the same way, but we all know that you do. You just have a different way of showing it. Now I suggest that you suck it up and just go out with him already or else!"

"Or else what?"

"Or else… we'll be… very very mad at you!" Arianna mustered out lamely. "Now end of discussion. Good night!"

The room was silent for a few minutes. It seemed as if the three girls had actually fallen asleep already. But then --

"Yes, well James is still an arrogant little prick most of the time, isn't he?"


	4. Chocolate Covered Promises

**A/N: **Wow. Another chapter done. Seriously, I can't believe I'm writing so much. It usually takes me _months_ to update! Ahah. Thanks to all who reviewed, I really appreciate you telling me what you think of my story. I have to warn you though, there's a MINOR spoiler in this chapter for Deathly Hallows. I dont think it's that big, but who knows? Anyways, yes just to be on the safe side.. so on with the story:) And as always.. please **Read&Review!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter.

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**Orange Skies:  
****Chocolate Covered Promises**

_Slow down, girl,  
you're not going anywhere.  
Just wait around and see.  
Maybe I'm much more, you never know what lies ahead.  
I promise I can be anyone, I can be anything.  
Just because you were hurt doesn't mean you shouldn't bleed.  
I can be anyone, anything.  
I promise I can be what you need.  
Tell me, tell me,  
what makes you think that you are invincible?  
I can see it in your eyes that you're so sure.  
Please don't tell me that I'm the only one that's vulnerable.  
Impossible.  
__Vulnerable - Secondhand Serenade_

The skies were glowing a brilliant shade of orange, creating a beautiful scenic backdrop while the autumn breeze blew tenderly, rustling the leaves of the trees planted aside the giant lake. There were faint calls of birds and laughter could be heard drifting around the site. There was the familiar buzz of chatter and no sound was out of place. This was what it was like on any normal Saturday afternoon on the grounds of Hogwarts.

About a week had passed since the fateful kiss that Lily and James shared and yet there still seemed to be no improvement in their situation. The first few days afterwards, it seemed as if the two would soon become a couple as they had started to treat each other more kindly. But this lovely façade rapidly faded when the third morning after the kiss, the two started to treat each other naturally again. To everyone's dismay, James returned to being the lovesick puppy while Lily continued to push him away. The disappointment was clearly etched on James' face as he had gotten his hopes up but would persistently refuse to admit to anyone that he had any bitter thoughts about the sudden change of events.

Arianna couldn't help but feel sorry for him as she watched him try time and again to get Lily to see things from his perspective but the red-head would only push him away whenever he would try to talk to her on her own. She wanted so badly to help him but she felt that this had just gotten too personal for her to meddle in. Lily would now neither talk about how James was still persistent on getting her to go out with him or how they would work perfectly as a couple. Both Arianna and Caitlin could tell that there was more to the situation than they could see but felt it to be too intrusive to ask Lily just yet.

Now here they all were, sitting underneath one of the giant trees near the lake and just taking in the calm scenery. No one had spoken in about ten minutes as they were all just staring in different direction, lost in their own thoughts. That is, that was the case for everyone but Sirius, who had now found himself a new girl to snog and snog he did without any sense of embarrassment in front of the rest of the group.

As she sat, Arianna would casually glance over at the rest of her friends. Caitlin, who sat directly beside her, was picking blades of grass and separating them into two pieces before throwing them back onto the earth. But what was curious about this was that she would never look down at her hands while she did this. Instead she would stare off into the distance or else give quick glances at Remus, who was reading another one of his big books. James was pretty much the same way as her, only giving Lily more long, lingering looks and Arianna felt a pang of sadness wash over her. She hated seeing him like this. James was never usually this intense when it came to Lily. At first, it seemed as if he was only trying to get Lily to go out with him for fun, to give him something to do. But now it was clearer than ever that Lily was the only girl that he could ever spend the rest of his life with. Lily on the other hand paid no attention to the looks that James had been giving her. She would only stare into the depths of the lake clearly deep in thought. And even as Arianna looked at the two who seemed somehow distant from each other now but yet undeniably close, she felt as if in the end, everything would work out. It just _had_ to.

Finally deciding to turn back and stare off into the distance once again, Arianna felt that this exact moment showed the true boundaries of their friendships. It was true, they could all chat up a storm with each other and usually did but being able to sit there in complete comfortable silence and just get lost in their own thoughts and feelings and not have to worry about what the others were thinking revealed just how much they really were best friends. Arianna lived for these moments. She was always grateful that she had found friends like these.

"It's almost time for dinner," Remus said after a few more minutes of taking in the beautiful sunset. He had whispered this sentence as if he had been afraid to break the silence.

Heads either turned or looked up. Sirius and the blonde that he had decided to snog broke apart, both extremely flushed by their intimate kissing. Most seemed surprised by the time. It had seemed as if the world had been put onto pause once again as they sat there. Slowly, almost reluctantly, they made themselves get up and trudged along the grass towards the vast castle. The sun had fully set now and the sudden grumble in their stomachs soon became more and more apparent. Suddenly, everyone couldn't wait until they were in the Great Hall and start eating a delicious meal.

Once seated on the Gryffindor table, the group immediately set out to fill their plates with food.

"Amazing girl, she is," Sirius said as he loaded his plate with potatoes and some ham. He indicated to the blonde who had placed herself on the Hufflepuff table.

Caitlin, who sat beside him, raised her eyebrows. "And what was her name again?"

Sirius opened his mouth to answer but no sound came out. He blushed furiously. "Well, I can't really seem to remember. It's either Kayla or Kaycee…" he trailed off.

"As per usual," Arianna, who sat on his other side, said.

"These are really good potatoes, no?" Sirius said, stuffing his face with food. He really was no good at being discreet about changing the subject.

Lily sat on the other side of Arianna, leaving a good distance between her and James, who sat beside Remus who was sitting beside Caitlin. Peter was on Remus' other side but was barely talking. Now that the silence was broken, conversations turned random and crazy once again.

"Look, I'm sure Sirius could beat him in Quidditch and everything-"

"How are you so sure of that?"

"Oh, that's cause I'm just amazing," Sirius grinned.

"Would you let me finish? Anyways, yeah, he could beat him at Quidditch, but an actual fistfight? Don't think so."

"Are you saying I'm weak?" Sirius asked.

"You _are_ weak."

"No I'm saying he's stronger."

"Would you care to prove that?" Sirius said.

"You really want to fight him?"

"Sure, if you wanna lose a tooth or two."

"I'd beat him like that," Sirius said while snapping his fingers.

The rest gave him disbelieving looks.

"Okay, then. Why don't we all just gang up on Sirius?" Sirius said exasperatedly as he took in the looks that he was being given.

"Don't worry, we plan to," Caitlin said.

The rest of dinner went by in this fashion. They had a lot of pointless conversations and would laugh every moment or two. By the time they had finished the last of the yorkshire pudding, they were all ready to head up to the common room and get started once again on some homework since they had been neglecting it all day.

That proved to be very difficult, though, seeing as the common room was filled with students when they entered and were immediately pulled into different conversations. One of the fifth year girls had rushed up to Arianna once she had seen her go through the portrait hole and bombarded her with questions about Sirius once he had walked off with the rest of the Marauders to start up a conversation with some guys in their year.

"Hi, Arianna," Audrey gave her a big, sweet, and most definitely fake smile.

"Um, hey there, Audrey," Arianna said cautiously. The two girls had never been on very friendly terms, seeing as Audrey had hated her from the very moment she entered Hogwarts because she had a tremendous crush on Sirius but was one of the very few girls that had never had the chance to have a fling with him yet. Of course, she had heard how Arianna and him were so close and immediately saw her as a threat.

"How was your day?" Audrey asked, beckoning her to sit on one of the couches with her.

"It was fine. How was yours?" Arianna still kept her guard up as she sat down.

"Oh, terrific, thanks. Listen, I was wondering if you could tell me if Sirius has been seeing anyone lately," Audrey said giving Arianna a look that said that she suspected that it was her that was Sirius' current girlfriend.

"Oh, um, well he's been dating someone lately, I guess, but I wouldn't exactly say they're boyfriend and girlfriend…"

Audrey nodded, unable to hide the smile that was now creeping onto her face. "Interesting. Well, I'm glad we had this chat."

_I'm not_, Arianna thought. "Yeah, me too!"

Arianna watched as Audrey stood up and walked off, undoubtedly on the search for Sirius. Surprisingly, he was nowhere to be found in the common room and Arianna couldn't help but laugh once Audrey had noticed this too and gave a sudden 'humph' and walked back up to her dormitory.

Arianna knew that she was not only sought after by some boys here at Hogwarts, but by some girls also. This was purely because of her relationship with Sirius. They were really close with each other, and it showed to everyone else. She suspected that the Sirius Black Fan Club of Crazily Obsessed Girls (as she liked to call them) now had it in for her. But what she couldn't get was why they felt so threatened by her presence. She had said time and again that her and Sirius were strictly friends, nothing more. Didn't his trail of heartbroken girls that did not consist of her prove that?

Shaking these thoughts out of her head, Arianna took a fleeting look around the common room before making her way upstairs. As much as she wanted to stay and socialize, she really did need to do some homework seeing as she already had one assignment late for McGonagall. Thankfully, since it was only the first week back and knowing how much homework they were being given, McGonagall let her off with only a warning and asked to have the essay handed in before the next class.

It was a good thing that no one was in the dormitory when Arianna entered. She immediately made for her bed and gathered the books and papers she needed. With the comfortable silence and no one around to pester her with Sirius questions, Arianna finished her Transfiguration essay in a record of only thirty minutes. She smiled down at the two rolls of parchment with a sense of satisfaction as she put her quill down.

Deciding that there was still time to get the assignment into McGonagall before the end of the day, Arianna got out of her bed, ran out the dorm and bounded down the stairs.

"Hey, Ari!" Lily called from one of the couches once she saw Arianna enter the common room.

"Not right now, Lily, sorry. Just finished essay. I'm gonna see if I can hand it in to McGonagall now," Arianna said hurriedly while waving the rolls of parchment in front of Lily's face.

"Oh, okay, well good luck," Lily said as Arianna ran off and out of the portrait hole.

Arianna walked the nearly deserted halls in search of the Transfiguration classroom where she was hoping Professor McGonagall would be. On her way down a particularly empty corridor, she encountered the devious prankster and annoying ghoul extraordinaire, Peeves.

"Hairy Ari!" he called out in amusement once he saw her approaching. Arianna sighed. She was in no mood for his antics just now.

"Not now, Peeves. Leave me alone!"

"Oh, someone's got her undies in a tight bunch," he said, drifting closer towards her.

Thankfully, they had now arrived at Arianna's destination. Muffled noises could be heard through the other side of the door and Arianna was relieved to conclude that Professor McGonagall was in fact in her classroom.

"Peeves, you better leave before I say anything to McGonagall," she threatened. The ghost made a face and did a rude hand gesture before flying off again, no doubt to find another student to pester.

Arianna then threw open the door and casually walked into the classroom. "Professor, I--" she started but then stopped short.

A look of shock and embarrassment creeped onto her face as Sirius and the girl he had been snogging earlier at the lake now broke apart from an obvious liplock. Sirius' hair was ruffled and messier than usual and he wore an astonished look on his face while the blonde turned a deep shade of scarlet.

"Sorry, I was, um… I was here for uh… something." Arianna mumbled, completely forgetting about the essay that she was supposed to hand in.

"Yeah, we were just, uh…" Sirius said while running his hand through his hair. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to look straight at Arianna's eyes.

"Snogging? Yeah, I got that."

"Yeah," Sirius said under his breath.

An awkward silence followed. Not one person could look at another's face and finally, Arianna had had enough.

"So," she started, not really knowing where the sentence was going. "how, uh, how long have you two been, uh… dating?"

"We're not dating," Sirius said almost immediately.

"Almost five days," the Hufflepuff responded at the same time as Sirius.

They both turned to each other. Shock was apparent on both of their faces. Sirius had no idea why he said what he said. Of course they were dating… weren't they? But what had caused him to deny this fact in a most assured voice? He said this less than a second after Arianna asked the question, as if he didn't want her to know that he was Hogwarts' most recognizable playboy…

"What do you mean we're not dating?" the blonde's eyes were narrowed.

"I just meant that, uh…" Sirius glanced helplessly at Arianna who now wished that she was gone from this most awkward conversation. "Well, we didn't really say that we were boyfriend and girlfriend, did we?"

"What's that supposed to mean? I'm not good enough to be your girlfriend? I thought these past few days meant something to you, Sirius!" she shouted angrily.

"Don't get me wrong. It was fun and all… but I don't really think we should be boyfriend and girlfriend," Sirius responded lamely.

The blonde, whose name Arianna still didn't know, crossed her arms and glared furiously at the boy. "Well, if that's how you feel. I'm going to go back to my common room," she said huffily. She then turned and strutted out of the classroom, her nose in the air, trying to save her dignity. The look did not work for her.

"So, I'm going back to the tower," Sirius announced to Arianna once the blonde was out of sight. He gave her a faint smile and she returned it.

"I'll go back in a bit. I have to give McGonagall my essay," she replied, now remembering why she was there in the first place. 'See you later, Padfoot."

"Night, Ari," Sirius waved as he walked off too.

Arianna waited another ten minutes in the now deserted classroom. She was just about to give up hope and leave and just give her professor the essay the following morning when McGonagall strode in.

"Why are you here at this hour, Miss Carden?" she questioned with her eyebrows raised.

"I finished my essay, professor. I thought I should just give it to you now," Arianna said and handed McGonagall the two rolls of parchment.

"Very well, then. Thank you. Now run along, Arianna. You don't want to be caught after hours."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following afternoon was bright and sunny, ideal for an autumn Sunday, but the gang had found themselves stuck indoors for spending too much time outside the previous day. The teachers weren't kidding when they had said that NEWT level courses would take up a lot of their time and effort.

The incident that occurred the night before did not go unnoticed, though. Arianna had thought all about it last night and questioned a lot of what Sirius had done and said. Why had he denied being together with this girl? He had no problem showing their public displays of affection before. And how come he just broke it off so suddenly, not even appearing to care at all. Yes, Sirius was a womanizer, but he also had charm and class. He never treated any of his girls like that. This bugged Arianna immensely. But the next morning, all the awkwardness that her and Sirius had felt the night before had long disappeared and soon, she was retelling the story to everyone else and they found a great deal of amusement in teasing Sirius about it.

Aside from this, James had started to try talking to Lily once again. At first, it seemed as if they were finally going to have a civil conversation but apparently, James had said the wrong thing once again and started another fight between the two. Arianna, and no doubt the others, were all getting sick and tired of the current situation between their best friends and were just about ready to scream at Lily for trying to block the reality that was there before her eyes.

Now the three girls sat in their dormitory and were just taking a break from all the writing and practicing they were doing for their homework. The boys had also gone off up to their own dorms, saying that they had to plan a prank because they had executed not even one since they had arrived at Hogwarts for the year.

"So there was suddenly this giant bee chasing her," Caitlin was saying. She was explaining to the other girls the dream that Sam had had the night before.

"When she was too tired to run anymore, the bee came and just kept stinging and stinging her. It wouldn't die!"

Both Arianna and Lily laughed. "That girl is certainly something."

"And she said there was this random little boy. She had no idea who he was but he just kept staring and laughing at her as the bee attacked."

"And I thought my dreams were weird," Arianna said, still giggling.

"Oh please," Lily said through fits of laughter. "My dreams are way more crazy then hers. There was this one time that I dreamed that James and I--" she stopped short as the other two girls' heads quickly snapped to look at her.

"You have dreams about dear Prongs?" Caitlin asked excitedly.

"Let me guess. You were in a big mansion. He led you down the corridor as he held your hand and pushed you into a room with a gigantic bed then --"

"ARIANNA!" Lily screamed, turning a deep shade of red.

"Then you opened your mouth to say something and then you two started having another row. Perfect night ruined," Arianna finished.

Caitlin burst out into laughter. "Sadly, I have no trouble in believing that," she said.

"Honestly, you two…" Lily grumbled.

"You just love us like crazy, don't you?" Arianna said, grinning.

"Sad to say. But yes," Lily said. She couldn't help but smile either.

"Now let's go to the Great Hall. Dinner should be ready now and I'm starving!" Caitlin said. The other two agreed and they all headed down. Surprisingly, the four boys were nowhere to be seen when they entered the Great Hall but they just brushed it off, thinking that they were busy with their latest prank.

Dinner was uneventful. The highlight of it was when the girls tried to guess what the four boys were doing for their prank and who it would be done on. They knew for sure that it would be a Slytherin but there was a never ending list of what the prank could actually be.

As they headed back up to the dormitory about an hour later, they were still discussing this very subject. But they did not have to question for very much longer as they stepped into their dormitory and found what the boys had been planning all day.

Lily was the most surprised of them all. No doubt that this little scene or 'prank' as they had called it was all for her. The ceiling had been enchanted. White lily petals were charmed to fall elegantly from the ceiling to the floor and after a few seconds, the petals that lay there would disappear. The lilies that fell ever so gracefully from the ceiling, though, never seemed to decrease.

Amidst all this, a big package lay atop Lily's bed. It was also white, although the ribbon that was keeping it closed was a dark shade of red. Lily made her way towards it, never noticing the footsteps that her feet were leaving. It seemed to her as if she was slowly gliding towards the simply but beautifully decorated box. Lightly tugging at the ribbon, it fell to the floor as Lily undid it and lifted the lid of the package to peer in to see what was inside. At the very top was a neatly written note.

_Dearest Lily,_

_I've been trying to get you to listen to what I have to say about us for ages now, but you seem to always push me away. I have no clue as to why you're doing this, and I hope that one of these days (hopefully sooner rather than later) you will take the time to explain. But you have got to know this now. I love you, Lily. I think I've loved you ever since that first train ride that we had to Hogwarts. I know, it seems impossible, but who's to say that this, that we, couldn't work out in the end? We could never say for sure if we've never given us a try. So please, I'm begging you, Lily. I know we have a lot of arguments, but what relationship doesn't have that? Give me the chance to show you that I've grown up and I've matured from that boy that would always hit on you to someone who truly, deeply cares about your feelings. I will never give up on you. Even if it takes a hundred thousand more gifts and surprises to get you to give us a chance. That's all I'm asking for, Lily. Then I'll let you choose freely if you still feel that me and you shouldn't be together. I'll let you go, even if it will hurt me. And those are my chocolate covered promises to you._

_Love Always,  
__James._

Underneath this letter, an assortment of chocolates was kept. Lily recognized them as all her favourites and soon, tears were threatening to spill out of her eyes. She buried her face in her hands for a moment, trying to regain her composure. In all her life, no one had ever done anything so sweet for her. Nothing came close, nothing compared. She just stood there for a minute, lilies still falling all around her. Once she was sure that no tears would fall, she turned and back around to the dormitory entrance. Arianna and Caitlin had disappeared.

Taking hold of the box of chocolates, she made her way down to the common room once again. She was afraid to face James, afraid of what he would say to her now and what she would say back. She wondered if things would be awkward around them again. But she knew that she had to talk to him.

Once at the bottom of the steps, she almost immediately spotted the four Marauders, Caitlin, and Arianna huddled together, engaged in deep conversation at one corner of the common room. It took them a while to notice Lily there, but once they did, all the talking ceased. Everyone turned from Lily to James then back again.

James had an apprehensive look on his face as he stepped forwards. He tried to smile kindly at Lily but his smile wavered then disappeared when Lily beckoned him closer so that they could have a private chat.

"I'm scared," Lily whispered once James was closer to her. Her voice was so soft that he almost didn't hear.

"Why would you be scared?" he asked her, his voice also in a whisper.

Lily shook her head, trying to find the right words to say to him. The others watched the two closely, nervously. They all prayed that nothing would go wrong with this, that they would finally put an end to these complications in their relationship.

"I don't want what happened with me and Snape to happen to us."

James' eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? What happened with you and Snape?" his tone turned somewhat bitter.

Lily looked up into his eyes. "Nothing like that. Nothing like us. We were never romantically involved," she reassured him. "He was my best friend."

James looked at her disbelievingly. "You and Snape? Best friends?"

She nodded, her eyes looking downwards again. "Yes. Before I came here to Hogwarts. Me and him would always spend time together. I was glad to have him with me. Since I'm Muggle born, I didn't have anyone else that I could talk to about magic. And then he came along and we became fast friends."

"So what happened?"

Lily averted her eyes. "Hogwarts happened. You and the others happened. We changed. And it hurts to know how close I used to be with him. We swore we'd be best friends forever…"

James lightly took her hand into his. "I couldn't bear to lose you like I lost him, James. That would hurt too much," she continued.

"What makes you think you'll lose me?"

"I don't know. But I didn't think I would lose him. I was _certain_ I wouldn't lose him. And yet I did."

"Can't you take that chance?"

Lily now looked up at him fiercely. "No, I can't. My heart has been mangled enough, thanks."

"Then what if I _promise_ that you won't lose me?"

"He promised that too."

"But what are the chances of _us_ ever losing each other? We've been friends for more than five years!" James' voice was rising now.

"Yes, but me and him were so close as well and -- "

"I'M NOT SNAPE, LILY!" James yelled, his frustration getting the better of him. Lily drew back and grimaced while several people in the common room turned to see what was going on.

James paid no attention to them and continued to look at Lily. His voice turned softer now as he placed his hand back onto hers. "I would never dream of hurting you like that. Don't you get it by now? I love you. More than he ever did. And I'm not going to let you go that easily, Lily. Not when I know that you feel the same way. And don't you dare try to deny that."

Silence followed. The whole common room was now listening in on their conversation, sucked in by what James had just said. The tension in the room was almost unbearable. Everyone waited for Lily to respond, to acknowledge that she had even heard him. A minute passed but to everyone it felt like hours, even days.

And then Lily looked at him once more. She took his other hand and held it in her own, their fingers entwined. She looked up into his eyes again, with that same fierce look that she had given him earlier. They both leaned in at the same time, getting closer and closer until their lips found each others again. It was a soft and sweet kiss. James tried to pull Lily closer once more and this time, Lily did not object. Even as they broke apart, they still stood there holding each other as if the world would end if they let go.

Lily then leaned forwards once again, only this time to whisper into James' ear. "One date, Potter. That's what you asked for. But if it turns out to be something more, don't go complaining."

"I swear I won't," James replied while grinning although this exchange was barely heard because of the sudden applause and wolf whistles that erupted all around the common room. There were loud cheers and much celebration and every single onlooker had muttered under their breaths the word 'finally'.


	5. Fireside Arguments

**A/N: **Yay! Another chapter done:) Took me a little bit longer to write this one, but at least I got it up in less than a month:P But guys, I'm lacking reviews. So do me a favour, k? After you read this, R&R! Thank you!

**Disclaimer:** Do we really need this anyways? So yeah.. I don't own Harry Potter. No one sue me. K, we good:)

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**Orange Skies:  
****Fireside Arguments**

_Is popularity your quest?  
Is this game the perfect test?  
Do we all? Do we alter?  
What we are. Who we honor.  
Playing with people's hearts?  
__Hold On - Acceptance_

Lily Evans, flaming red-haired, green-eyed, cunning and brilliant witch, was never the one to fawn over your typical teenaged so-called heartthrob. She didn't giggle every time a man caught her eye and she certainly did not gush about someone just because of how they looked or how athletic they were. No, she was the type of girl to give you snide remarks to counteract your charming smile or brush off those big gestures in an attempt to woo her. That is, unless you can show her for plain and undeniable fact that your intentions were true and you really were looking for more than just a snog session on a lazy afternoon. But even then, she would never turn into those girly-girls who would twitter at any sight or mention of a certain boy. And not even dating James Potter, handsome and charming (when he wanted to be) Quidditch Captain and part of the infamous Marauders could change that.

It had been almost a month now. _Weeks_ of being together. A person would think they'd be past all the bickering and fighting and would be kissing each other every chance they got. But, heck. It _was_ James and Lily. The arguments would never cease with them. It was your typical love/hate relationship. There was undoubtedly a lot more love, and yet the hate seemed to show a great deal more. But yet despite all the squabbling and unnecessary remarks, Arianna couldn't help but feel that with James and Lily, she wouldn't have it any other way.

The rest of the gang was of course also thrilled about Hogwarts' long-awaited couple even though the two's manners with each other were still pretty much the same as before they had started dating. Really, the only difference was now Lily was always willing to let James hold and kiss her and even became more tolerable with him. Sometimes, though, the rest would catch her saying sweet things to him, things only someone who was truly and completely in love would say. This would always bring smiles to their faces.

The current situation they were presently in right now, though, had not given any of them a reason to have a smile on their face. In fact, the expressions they wore were ones of exasperation and boredom. Their location? Hogwarts grounds, Care for Magical Creatures class. In the beginning of their sixth year, the whole lot of them were eager to continue with this particular course. Although as of right now, they had no idea why. Actually, no, that was not the case. They knew perfectly well why. Their teacher from last year, Professor Jenkins, was an amazing, bright, and very interesting witch who always managed to keep her students interested in her lessons. Unfortunately, she was never the type to be tied down to one particular thing and over the summer, she had run off with a handsome wizard to have a whirlwind romance in Paris. No doubt with her fickle personality, this passionate affair was over by now.

Her replacement was, to be straightforward and honest, dull. Not only did she make the lessons incredibly boring but she had to act as if it was the most exciting thing in the world. And she wasn't that good of an actress. She was unquestionably the target of many a teasing. Right now, she was lecturing the class on the excitement of learning all about these magical creatures.

"And wouldn't it be just good fun on a Friday night to get a bowl of popcorn and--"

"Read your Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook," Sirius muttered, the sarcasm in his voice unmistakable.

Everyone in his near area had heard and started giggling at his sarcastic comment. Unfortunately, everyone in his near area also included Professor Armeda, their teacher. She turned towards the dark haired boy and for a second, everyone thought that she would lash out at him. They all braced themselves to hear Sirius get quite a good talking to or at least have some points to Gryffindor taken away. But the students could never prepare themselves for what the teacher said next.

"Exactly! Wouldn't that be great tremendous fun? An evening well spent!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.

Silence followed. The kind of silence where everyone was trying to stifle their laughter. But as usual, just as how many of these things go, a giggle escaped from one person's mouth and soon, the whole class was doubled over laughing. This was the most fun they had had in this class their whole year, which was incredibly sad.

Professor Armeda stared at the whole lot of them, clear confusion etched on her features. It appears that no one had ever taught her what sarcasm was. Luckily for the students, the end of class was only a minute after and they had a chance to get away before their professor had caught on. She dismissed them with still an air of doubt and confusion. Along with being boring, she was also pretty stupid, especially for a teacher. No one really knew why Dumbledore had hired her in the first place. Was he _that_ desperate to find a replacement?

The following hour proceeding their Care For Magical Creatures class found Arianna pouring over books for yet another essay at the library with Remus and Caitlin. James had asked Lily if she wanted to complete their essays outside by the lake. She had agreed to go with him and the others decided it would be best if they left the couple alone for a while since for the past week, they had never had that much time for themselves. In fact, the two hadn't been alone together since their first date which according to Lily had turned out to be a horrible disaster but was nonetheless the most fun and romantic date she had ever had. The girl was completely smitten. Anyone could tell by the added sparkle in her dazzling green eyes.

Sirius had also run off with yet another girl. This time she had auburn hair with hazel eyes. Her smile was cheerful and she was undoubtedly pretty. Arianna had at first been mad at Sirius when he started seeing her two days ago, The brunette, Reese, was somewhat a good friend of hers. She was always nice to everyone and she had a striking personality. She could always make anyone bright and happy with her random, crazy remarks and antics. Arianna hated that she knew that Sirius would soon get bored of her and turn out to be just another notch on his belt. She didn't want Reese to get hurt just as the other girls, who were more of airheads than her, had. She deserved better than that and Sirius just couldn't see it.

That was also another thing that was bothering her lately. Arianna was slowly but surely getting tired and annoyed of Sirius' fickle ways. She would now always question why he couldn't just decide to stay with one person for at least a month. It wasn't very hard, everyone else could do it. It just made him seem so immature to Arianna's eyes and she hated it because she knew there was more to Sirius Black, the womanizer and prankster. Much, much more. Five years of being one of his best friends showed her that.

"Where's Peter run off to?" Caitlin questioned suddenly causing Arianna to look up from a book she had been skim reading. Looking around, she realized that she hadn't even noticed that Peter had been missing.

"We're not seeing much of him lately, huh?" she said. It was true, over the past month Peter had grown even more quiet than usual and they rarely saw him except for classes.

"He's been acting tremendously nervous and quiet," Remus agreed. "But then again, it's Peter. He's been known to act like that a lot."

They then decided to brush that particular subject off and venture to Remus' growing weariness and tired looks that had not went unnoticed by any of them.

"You've been pretty quiet yourself lately," Caitlin commented to him.

"Is it _your_ time of month, _Moony_?" Arianna questioned, catching on to what Caitlin was talking about. The two and Lily had known about Remus' problem the same time that James and the rest of the boys did. They had no doubt tried to help and comfort him, especially during every full moon but did not go to the extent that the other boys did who had learned to become Animagi during their fourth year for Remus' sake.

He nodded grimly. Arianna noticed that his and Caitlin's eyes were locked on each other's and couldn't help but feel that they were sharing some kind of unspoken secret. She suddenly felt ashamed, as if she was intruding on something private. She had suspected for some time now that the two had taken a fancy to each other but that they had not realized it yet. She hoped, though, that they would get together soon because they would be such a cute couple, just as much as Lily and James were.

"Tonight's a full moon," he whispered to the two. His eyes finally broke their gaze on Caitlin and now he looked downwards. A sullen look appeared on his features and he twiddled his thumb nervously. He always seemed so vulnerable on talks much like this and Arianna felt sympathy for the boy wash over her.

"Don't look so down. Just think, another night full of adventures with the other Marauders!" Caitlin tried to cheer him up. Clearly she now felt bad for bringing up this certain sensitive subject

"Yeah. Just don't get too grouchy, though. I know when us girls are on our time of month we're very hazardous but when you're on yours, you're just a tad bit more dangerous," Arianna also tried to lighten up the mood and winked when Remus looked up to face her. He smiled appreciatively, a bit of glint in his eyes coming back.

"Thank you. Really, I have no idea what I would do without you two," he said.

"Crash and burn," Arianna smiled.

Caitlin let out a laugh. "More like howl and attack."

"He would never dream of doing that with us around! He knows that if he does he'll have to face a serious talking to. Oh - and some pixies," Arianna smirked. She knew how much Remus had an irrational fear of pixies. It was always entertaining to listen to him talk about how evil and dangerous the little creatures were.

"You wouldn't dare," his eyes went wide as he pretended to look at them in horror.

"Course we would," Caitlin replied as she hurriedly scribbled down a sentence on her piece of parchment. She seemed to study it for a moment before throwing her quill down and jumping up out of her chair, her face jubilant. "Done!"

Arianna groaned. "I'm not even close. D'you mind letting me copy the ending of yours?"

Caitlin threw the essay at her. "Not word for word though. Slughorn may be ignorant at times but he's not stupid."

Remus gave them both disapproving looks but decided not to open his mouth. He was used to his peers copying from each other since he had Sirius and James for best friends.

"Well I'm off," Caitlin announced as she gathered her things and stuffed them into her book bag. "Do have some fun without me you two."

Smiling brightly, she waved goodbye to Arianna but when she turned to Remus, her face seemed to become more meaningful and her eyes showed an emotion that Arianna couldn't quite place. The uncomfortable feeling came rushing back to her once again. Caitlin gave him a curt nod and mumbled something along the lines of, "Good luck tonight." and walked off.

Silence engulfed the remaining two companions for quite some time after Caitlin had disappeared. Remus had gone back to working on his potions essay but Arianna sat there contemplating what she had just seen between her two friends. After a few minutes, though, she couldn't resist the urge to question him about the situation and so she turned to Remus.

"So, you and Caitlin, huh?" she was straight to the point.

Remus looked up from his paper with a questioning look on his face. "What about me and Caitlin?"

Arianna waved a hand airily. "You seriously don't notice the looks she gives you? Or are you ignorant enough not the notice the looks _you_ give _her_?"

If Remus had any idea of what Arianna was talking about, he did a good job of hiding it. "What do you mean about looks? She looks at me the same as she looks at anyone."

"Are you blind?!" Arianna asked exasperatedly. Remus looked taken aback.

"No, actually, I'm not, Ari. Now will you please tell me what the heck you're talking about?"

Arianna sighed and leaned in closer to Remus. "Maybe I'm imagining things," she started off. Her fingers were tapping on the library desk and Remus eyed them, clearly annoyed by the sound they were making. "but you two have been exchanging looks lately. Looks that have been making me feel uncomfortable because frankly, they're looks that people who were in love would give. Didn't you see her eyes when she looked at you just now?"

A dumfounded expression was on Remus' face. "I guess not," Arianna continued.

"What exactly are you saying, Ari?"

Arianna made a face. "I'm saying that I wouldn't be surprised if you two became the next James and Lily."

Remus laughed. "Arianna, I'm too tired right now to even try to make sense of what you just said."

"I'm only telling you the truth."

"How would you know for sure?"

Arianna bit her lip. "I have a feeling. People in this little group of ours are sure pairing off these days."

"Yeah, first James and Lily and next it's gonna be me and Caitlin. Soon enough, we'll be planning yours and Sirius' wedding," Remus replied sarcastically while smirking.

She gave him an incredulous look. "Okay, maybe I _am_ imagining things," she agreed. Anything to stop her friend from talking about her and Sirius in that way. Remus laughed then returned back to his essay. Arianna was sure of this one though, when he looked back down to his parchment and books, she had caught what seemed like a smug expression on his drained face.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was getting really tired of these glares that random girls had been giving her. At first, it was only occasional, but she was used to that. That was what happened when you became friends with the heartthrob of the school, Sirius Black. It came with the job description. But all this was just so _unnecessary_.

As Arianna walked down one of the corridors, intent on going to the Gryffindor common room, faces of girls that she didn't even know set their gazes upon her before they would proceed to whisper to their friends in hushed tones. This was all because of the upcoming trip to Hogsmeade and it was getting too ridiculous, really. Everyone suspected that she would go with Sirius, since she had said no to every other guy that had asked her. But that was just so silly… she had never went to Hogsmeade with Sirius before, what made them think that she would start now? Besides, wouldn't he still have Patricia to go with, assuming that he didn't break things off with her yet?

Arianna rolled her eyes at them. She tried so hard to ignore their looks at her, biting her lip so as to control herself from saying things she would regret later. She didn't want - didn't need - the drama. Not tonight. Not when she had other things to worry about. Like the fact that one of her best friends would soon turn into a werewolf and three other people that she cared most deeply about would be joining him and could possibly get hurt.

"Hey, Arianna!"

A low oath escaped from her lips. She didn't turn around, didn't stop, didn't even slow down her walking pace. She was going to ignore him.

"Ari!"

The voice was becoming louder but she suspected that she could still pull off the 'didn't hear you' scheme. This time, her pace quickened. But she couldn't walk fast enough - not when she was busy pretending that nothing was bothering her, that she didn't hear him at all.

A hand caught her shoulder. A look of aggravation disappeared from her face and she put on a fake look of cheerfulness and turned to the boy who had been calling out to her. He had shaggy light brown hair. His eyes, which were a deep blue, twinkled at the sight of her face and he smiled at her warmly. She really did like Logan. He had been a good friend of hers since their third year. But she didn't want to be bothered just now, especially since she knew what he was going to ask her.

"I was calling you," he said. She noticed he was a little out off breath, no doubt because he had ran to catch up with her.

"Sorry, Logan, I didn't hear you," she apologized, immediately feeling bad for lying to him. He had always been one of the sweetest guys that she had met here at Hogwarts.

He continued to smile. "Oh, well that's ok, then."

Arianna nodded, looking down the hallways distractedly. "So how are you?" she asked, trying to prolong the upcoming question he was bound to ask her.

"Well, I just had some plant in Herbology bite at my arm, but Madame Pomfrey healed it pretty quickly. Other than that, I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm good too, just a bit tired is all. Actually I was headed up to the common room just now," Arianna replied to the Hufflepuff.

"Oh, well I just wanted one quick question," Logan said, not relaxing the grip he had on her shoulder. Arianna just now realized that he had not let go of it yet.

"Shoot," she said, already dreading what was going to come next.

"Would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" his face was hopeful.

Arianna had been contemplating what her answer to him would be ever since she had heard him call out her name. On the one hand, she thought of them as just friends, strictly platonic. But on the other hand, she wouldn't mind spending some time with him and it would get at least _some_ of the girls off her back, at least for now.

She looked back down the hallway once again, having a silent argument inside her head. It didn't take more than three seconds, really, but to her it felt like an eternity. She could just imagine what he was thinking in his head when there was this slight delay to her answer.

"I'd love to go with you," she breathed. His face seemed to glow after he heard this sentence and Arianna was pretty sure that a few other girls had, too. The group that was standing near them had clearly been listening in on their conversation and after Arianna had give her answer, they all turned to each other and started talking at once.

It was just so easy to love Logan, even if it was just in a friendly way. He seemed so pleased with himself, so enthusiastic, it made Arianna truly happy that she had agreed to go with him after all.

"That's great! So I guess I'll see you tomorrow!" he said cheerily as he turned away, giving her a wave. "I'll let you just go back to your common room and rest," he called out as he walked away.

Arianna stood there for a bit, just watching the boy walk off. She knew it wasn't the best thing to do, to lead him on like that. By the look on his face, he seemed to really like her, and she just didn't feel that way about him. But she knew, nonetheless, that the following day would be nice. She had actually missed talking to Logan, who she had gotten closer with her over the past few years after they met in their DADA class.

Just then, she caught sight of a petite form with auburn hair at the corner of her eye. Abandoning all thoughts of going to the common room, she ran forwards until she caught up with the girl.

"Hey, Reese," Arianna greeted her.

Reese's smile back seemed forced and strained. "What's up, Ari?" her voice seemed down as well. Arianna gave her a look.

"What's wrong?" she asked, afraid of the answer.

Reese sighed. They both knew that Arianna had already guessed the response. Averting her eyes, she took a loose strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

"Sirius broke up with me."

A flash of anger flared across Arianna's eyes. She knew it was coming, it always did. So why was she so maddeningly angry this time around? It was because Reese was actually her friend - she was Sam's best friend. She didn't deserve to be treated the same way as some of those bimbos who pined for Sirius' attention. What was more frustrating was that they usually got it.

"He's a git when it comes to girls," Arianna said regretfully.

"Doesn't stop any of us from wanting him, huh?" Reese still had the faint smile on her face.

"I never did," Arianna said.

Reese eyed her with an incredulous face. "You can't be serious."

"Dead serious," Arianna's face was grave. "Not denying he's hot, but I know him too well."

"You're in denial," Reese muttered with a hollow laugh.

"No I'm not!" Arianna snapped back more harshly than she intended to. Reese gave her another look and an awkward silence followed.

"How did it happen?" Arianna asked after a while. She knew she shouldn't have, but curiosity got the better of her.

A bit of red spread onto Reese's cheeks. "Well, we were just, um…"

"Snogging?"

"Yeah. In a classroom. It was fine for a while and then I broke apart from him and asked why we never seemed to just talk," Reese continued. "Needeless to say, he tried to turn his charm on me but that just got me more upset. We got into a row, he broke up with me. The last thing he said was, and I quote: 'What we had felt special and it was fun but it's getting old. It's getting boring.' I didn't bother to stay to hear the rest."

"He says that to everyone," Arianna said darkly.

Reese just shrugged and tried to brush it off. "I can't say it wasn't expected. It's a bit foolish to hope - the think - that it would last with him, isn't it?"

"Everyone hopes. Sometimes I really don't get why. I love Sirius and all, he's a great friend. But he's horrible with long-term relationships," Arianna replied, shaking her head.

"Has he ever even had one before?"

"Doubt it," Arianna said.

Reese shook her head also. "Somehow I'm not surprised. Well, I better get going. Say hi to Sam for me will you? Oh and don't hurt Sirius too much next time you see him - I know how you can get with him sometimes."

Arianna watched again as her companion turned and proceeded to walk away from her. Her anger at Sirius Black still had not simmered down and as she turned to finally make her way back to the common room, she muttered under her breath, "I can't promise anything."

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Sirius sat staring at the glowing fire that gave off light in the common room. Thoughts swirled inside his head, most of them questions and regrets. Running a hand through his dark hair, he muttered a swear word under his breath. He just couldn't seem to get her - no, wait. Not _her_ per say. He couldn't get their _argument_ out of his mind. At least, that's what he told himself.

She had caught him by surprise. He wasn't even really sure why she was so angry with him in the first place. She just started rambling, mostly about Reese. He knew she had a reason to be mad at him, a dignified reason. But he never expected her to be _that _worked up over his and Reese's breakup. She had warned him, of course, two or three days earlier. She had said that if 'this one' ended badly, if he ended up hurting Reese, then he would have to face her. He thought she had been joking, but apparently not.

"_Black," he heard her voice from behind him. It was low, threatening._

_He turned to her, his signature smirk plastered on his face._

"_Arianna! Pleasure to see you!"_

_Her eyes narrowed. "Don't give me that, Black."_

_Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he steered her to one of the couches in the common room unwillingly. Placing both hands on her shoulder, he forced her to sit down. "Why the hostility, Carden? And why are we on a last name basis?"_

"_You know perfectly well why," she said indignantly._

_He racked his brain, but the accounts of his and Reese's breakup was the last thing on his mind. "Humour me."_

"_What did I tell you about hurting a certain auburn haired girl?" she asked, still glaring at him._

_Realization dawned on Sirius' face. "You're mad because I… broke up with another girl?" he didn't get it._

_Arianna let out a groan and threw her hands up in the air. "She's one of my good friends, Sirius! I don't want to seen her get hurt because you can't be mature enough to stay in a relationship for more than a week!"_

_Sirius threw her a resentful look. People all around the common room were now staring at the two. But they didn't seem to notice. "I told you I would try."_

"_Apparently not hard enough," she muttered._

"_What do you want me to do, Ari?" he asked her, his voice getting louder._

"_I want you to not run away from your relationship problems!" Arianna answered back just as loud. He looked taken aback. "You say to everyone that you break up with that it's because it got boring. But that's not the case, is it? It's just because you can't handle an argument! You'd rather break up with them and find a new girl than deal with your problems!"_

"_Are you on your period or something?" Sirius blurted out without even thinking. There was a collection of gasps coming from the female part of the audience._

_Arianna let out a shrill laugh. It seemed as if she was going into hysterics. "You're impossible, you know that?"_

_Sirius breathed in deeply. "Why do you care so much? It's not like it's you I broke up with!"_

_This seemed to hit a nerve. "What does it matter? You just hurt a great girl. You should feel lucky that she chose to go out with you in the first place!"_

"_She didn't seem that heartbroken by it. Took it rather well compared to other girls," Sirius replied lamely._

"_She's good at hiding her feelings," Arianna retorted._

"_She'll get over it," Sirius said, taking his gaze away from Arianna and looking into the fireplace beside them._

"_What if a girl in the future doesn't? People do crazy, stupid things for __love__," she spat out the last word as if it were some horrible thing._

"_No one's gonna fall in love with me," Sirius murmured._

"_That Sirius Black charm of yours gets girls to fall hard. Who's to say one of them won't?"_

_Sirius turned back to her, a blazing look on his face. "I won't let them."_

"_What makes you so sure?" _

_There was a bit of a pause. "I know I'm a bad person, Ari," his voice was pained. Arianna felt a twinge of guiltiness pull at her heart._

"_I didn't mean it like that," she whispered so only he could hear._

"_I know you didn't. That doesn't make it false."_

_She looked up at him, wondering what she would see in his eyes. He had gone back to staring at the crackling fire._

"_You're not a bad person," she assured him. "You can just be a bit too immature at times. That can be forgiven. It can be fixed."_

_Sirius merely shook his head. "I don't believe that."_

"_Sirius," she said,, the tiredness in her voice showing._

"_Don't try to change my mind, Ari. I know I am." he said firmly._

_A new set of frustration seeped through her, this time for different reasons. "You are __not__ a bad person, Sirius! If you were, I wouldn't be friends with you."_

"_Then don't be."_

_His response was so quite that she almost didn't hear him. She __wished__ that she didn't hear him. "What in the bloody hell are you talking about, Sirius?"_

"_Nevermind," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Go get some sleep, Ari. I need some time to think. Big night."_

_Arianna eyed him carefully. She didn't want to leave him. Not when he was talking such nonsense. But something inside her told her that it would be best for her to leave him alone. She knew that if she didn't, she would soon be yelling at him again and he clearly didn't need that right now._

"_G'night, then, I suppose. But don't think this conversation isn't over. Good luck tonight," she whispered so that only he would hear the last sentence._

_Sirius only gave a nod of the head and he watched in the corner of his eye as his friend slowly walked up the stairs towards her dormitory._

"Hey, Padfoot, you ready?" a grinning James shook Sirius out of his thoughts. In one of his hands, he held the invisibility cloak that had gotten them out of so much trouble so many times before.

A smile creeped onto Sirius' face in anticipation of what the rest of the night would bring.

"I'm always ready, Prongs," he answered. He then got out of the couch that was placed at the very front nearest to the fireplace and joined James, Remus, who was looking wearier than ever before, and Peter. They all made their way out of the deserted common room with Sirius struggling to keep the thoughts of the talk him and Arianna had at the back of his head. Tonight was a time for fun and mischief - a time to support his good friend, Remus. Arianna would have to wait to be tomorrow's problem.


	6. To Hurt For the Good

**A/N: **Okaaay, another chapter done. I know Caitlin will be very pleased with me ;) Buuut, I won't be able to write a while after this. I'm going on a small vacation and I won't be able to start writing again until about a week. So don't expect any updates anytime soon. Sorry about that. But as always.. please **Read&Review!** :)

**Disclaimer:** I've just gotten used to writing this for all the chapters. But it's getting a bit redudant, dont ya think? Anyways, yeah.. I'm not J.K. Rowling, therefore I don't own Harry Potter.

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**Orange Skies:  
****To Hurt For the Good **

_There comes a time to stand and fight  
Or turn and walk away  
The simple choice  
Between wrong and right  
__Within These Walls - Adolescents_

"DAMMIT!"

A chorus of '"shhh's" could be heard all throughout the fire lit room. Even though the Gryffindor Tower's common room contained several people, the atmosphere was hushed, tense. The glowing fire that gave off the only light in the area was usually welcoming, but tonight it seemed more ominous than anything else.

Blood dripped, unusually dark, more sinister than usual, against pale skin. Deep, unsettling gashes adorned the arms of a certain dark-haired boy, ruining what would have been a perfect sight for sore eyes. His eyes were brooding, he was clearly rattled. He had broken off into a sweat, but all this didn't seem to have anything to do with his cuts. He didn't seem to feel any pain at all.

"Would you keep still?" Lily muttered, grabbing hold of Sirius' flailing arm.

"Could you just hurry it up?" His voice was agitated.

Lily glanced up at the boy, exasperation on her face. "I'm still half asleep. Don't rush me if you know what's good for you, Black."

A groan. "Everyone sure seems to like using my last name these days," Sirius said faintly, casting a sideways glance at Arianna.

She had placed herself in the big, fluffy couch that sat right in front of the fireplace. The exact area that she and Sirius had an argument just hours before. She was now in a deep conversation with James, whose condition was just about the same as Sirius' minus the cuts. He was just as pale and both their smug expressions had been wiped clean off their faces. Sirius caught a few words shared between the two, mostly things like 'lost control', 'attack', and 'blood loss'.

He hung his head, turning away from his arm while Lily murmured spell after spell, trying to heal the gashes that had been caused by none other than Remus Lupin, the werewolf. So far, with her drowsiness still in tact, she had only managed to stop the bleeding. Saying a few curse words under her breath, she threw a hopeless glance at Arianna. They made eye contact and with a silent agreement, both got up and switched places, now with Arianna trying to mend the wounded boy.

"Fuck it," Arianna whispered once she softly spoke a charm and had reopened one of Sirius' cuts. Blood started to flow freely once more. It was apparent that she was no more awake than Lily had been.

"Just leave it," Sirius said, his voice husky.

Arianna gave him a look. "Yeah, and leave you here to bleed do death? No thanks, Sirius. I don't fancy losing _any_ of my best friends tonight."

"I would have thought you wanted to, considering the fight we had earlier," Sirius said looking away from her eyes.

Arianna stared at him for a moment, wondering whether or not he was serious. But… he couldn't be. One measly fight and he thought she wouldn't want anything to do with him again?

"I let my anger get the better of me, Sirius. I wasn't thinking when I said any of that stuff," she said to him reassuringly.

He shook his head. "Not now, ok?" he asked her, almost pleadingly.

She got what he meant. "Shouldn't Caitlin, Sam and Peter be back by now?" She immediately changed the subject. She turned all her focus back to his injuries once again, going back to trying different spells and charms.

Sirius shrugged half heartedly. "Madame Pomfrey could be questioning them. It's not everyday a person goes into the Hospital Wing at 3 in the morning with a body that's almost torn clean apart."

Arianna shuddered at the thought. Tears swelled up in her eyes, blurring her vision as she still aimed spells at Sirius' now almost completely healed arm. She had been trying to get the horrible images out of her head, but Sirius had brought them back anew. She even remembered the curse words that she had yelled at Samantha for waking her up at such an ungodly hour.

The anguish for her began around 20 minutes ago. Sam had been awake, she was used to going to bed at around 3 in the morning. She was the only one who had heard the commotion coming from downstairs and once she had seen what was going on, she had immediately hurried back up to the dorm and had woken up Arianna, Caitlin, and Lily. Even Arianna and Lily were very grouchy if they didn't have enough sleep so it was pretty hard to convince them to go downstairs with her. With a bit of a yelling match and a few things thrown her way, Sam had finally gotten the three to go downstairs with her once she uttered the words 'Remus is hurt'. It was amazing that the two other girls that they shared the dorm with had not woken up.

If Sirius' condition had scared anyone then Remus' could have caused any sane person to faint at the sight of him. Arianna had felt the colour draining out of her once she took one glance at him. Firstly, there had been a huge gash on the side of his head. That had caused him to lose ample amount of blood already but adding to that wound were large gashes, looking very much the same as Sirius' only he had attained more. He was unconscious, of course. No one who had lost that much blood could have possibly stayed awake. They were afraid he was dead, he couldn't have possibly survived. And yet, thankfully - luckily - his heart was still beating.

Blood had covered most of the common room, a combination of both of the damaged boys'. That was the least of everyone's worries. It could be cleaned up easily by muttering a charm or two.

Remus, on the other hand, was in dire need of immediate help. Sam and Peter had offered to carry him to the Hospital Wing at once, closely followed by Caitlin, who was at first too shocked to even acknowledge that the scene before her eyes had registered in her mind. The group had left instantaneously, not speaking a word to each other as they carried Remus, not even minding getting his blood all over themselves. No one bothered to put a floating charm on him, their minds not clear enough to have thought to.

Sirius had stayed behind. He had figured it wouldn't be as complicated to heal his own wounds and it would prevent a lot more unnecessary questions from teachers that were bound to interrogate the lot of them later on in the morning.

Arianna breathed a sigh of relief as the last of Sirius' gashes disappeared with a flick of her wand. He glanced down, running a finger along the side of his arm where his deep cuts used to be. They were now replaced with long but almost invisible scars. He looked at Arianna, forcing a faint smile on his face.

"Took you long enough," he whispered teasingly, trying to bring the tension in the atmosphere down a little.

She gave a small chuckle. It was just like him to crack a joke at a time like this. Wiping the smile off of her face, she tried her best to give him a mock hurt look. "You're welcome."

Silence then took over them. Out of habit, Arianna gingerly climbed up onto Sirius' lap, pulling her legs to her chest and holding them tightly with her arms. She laid her head on Sirius' shoulder, burying her face into his neck, and closed her eyes. This was what she had used to do when she was little and had been afraid of a storm or a 'monster' in her closet and found her dad downstairs on the couch, fully expecting his daughter to show up, needing to be comforted.

Sirius bent down, burying his head against Arianna's, breathing in her soft, sweet scent of strawberries. His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her closer to him. It was as if the events that took place only hours before hadn't even happened. It had been forgotten, laying at the back of their minds.

"He'll be alright," he murmured with his head still laying atop hers, knowing what she was thinking.

"Promise?" Her voice sounded like it belonged to a five year old child instead of a sixteen year old adolescent.

"Honest promise." Like he could control the fate of Remus Lupin with a snap of his finger.

"I don't wanna lose him, Siri." He blinked. She hadn't called him Siri since their third year.

"You're not going to lose him, Anna." _He_ hadn't called _her_ that in just as long. "No one is."

They stayed in that same position for several minutes with neither f them saying a word. Arianna kept her head buried in his neck, taking in his scent as he stroked her hand with his thumb. His head had gone back up now, though, and he was staring at Lily and James with a blank expression on his face. They too were in a tight embrace.

"It's not your fault, you know," Arianna said suddenly.

"What's not my fault?" He was playing dumb.

"What happened to Remus. I know you're blaming yourself," she answered, finally looking up to look at him straight in the eye..

Sirius stayed silent for a minute, wondering how to say what he thought without getting her agitated with him again. But before he could say anything, she continued.

"James told me what happened. Remus lost control. He was about to attack innocent people in Hogsmeade. You _had_ to stop him. You couldn't just let him kill people like that."

"I shouldn't have hurt him that much." He was aggrieved, his voice showed unmistakable bitterness.

"You couldn't have stopped him if you didn't."

"…"

"Besides, you honest promised me he would be ok, didn't you?"

"He _will_ be." This time, he sounded as if he was trying to convince himself.

"Of course he will be." There was no doubt in her voice and she was smiling. She was a great actress.

It was as if they had made a silent agreement, shook on it in their minds. The argument they had earlier would remain forgotten. Neither of them would bring it up ever again unless they have another row quite like it. This both comforted and bugged Arianna. But at least she would have on of her best friends back, no questions asked.

The portrait hole swung quietly. Three figures stepped haphazardly into the common room, all of them appearing to look dazed. Caitlin made for the closest chair, sinking down on it and closing her eyes, which were red and puffy. Arianna could tell she had been crying quite a bit.

"Madame Pomfrey said he'll be fine after staying a bit at the Hospital Wing," Peter managed to squeak out as the four looked at him and Sam expectantly.

There was a collective sigh all around the room. It felt as if a giant weight had been lifted off of Arianna's shoulders and she realized for the first time how hot she felt even when the fire was only dim and feeble.

"Told ya," she and Sirius whispered to each other in unison. Arianna didn't have to fake her smile this time, even if it was only a small one.

"She was giving us a hard time, though," Sam said, referring to the nurse. "Asking us all these questions first before she even got around to treating Remus. We were practically yelling at her to just get on with the healing. Thank God Dumbledore walked in."

"He let us leave without even asking one question. You reckon he knows what happened?" Peter asked.

"With Dumbledore, I wouldn't be surprised," James responded, still holding Lily tightly.

The room fell silent once again. It was only then that Arianna realized how tired she really was. The night had drained all the energy out of her. She let out a big yawn and Sirius grinned down at her.

"I'm tired, Sirius," she murmured, resting her head back down on his shoulder. "Carry me to my dorm?"

"I don't think so, missy," he whispered in her ear tenderly. "You're staying right down here with me. So are the others." He looked up at everyone else as they nodded, indicating they would spend the rest of the night there in the common room. Everyone made for a couch so that they would at least me somewhat comfortable as they slept.

"You're not gonna leave?" Arianna was already half asleep again.

"I swear I won't."

"And you'll wake me up if I have a nightmare about Remus?" she asked hopefully.

He took a loose strand of her hair and pushed it behind her ear. "Of course I will."

The brunette gave no response. She had already drifted off to sleep. And as she lay there in his arms, he couldn't help but finally see after all the years that they had been best friends how beautiful she really was.

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"You really don't want to be here with me, do you?"

Logan was eyeing Arianna carefully, his expression showing that he was getting ready to get rejected by her. Arianna felt a pang of guilt course through her veins as his words shook her absent-minded thoughts.

"No, Logan, I really do. I was really looking forward to spending some time with you," she said truthfully. "But you must have heard about Remus. I just have a lot on my mind."

He took a glance down the streets of Hogsmeade from the park bench that the two currently sat on. He seemed to grimace as he sad his next sentence. "I can just take you back up to the castle if you want. We can take a rain check."

Arianna smiled at him for being so thoughtful. Why couldn't she just like him the way he liked her? He would make a _perfect_ boyfriend. At least, as close to perfect as anyone could get.

"It's fine, really. Madame Pomfrey refused to let us go into the Hospital Wing this morning anyways. She insisted that he get some rest. Besides, I need someone to take my mind off of the whole situation for a while," she said.

"I'm not doing a very good job at that," Logan replied regretfully.

"You haven't been trying that much," Arianna said surely.

Logan looked straight at her, a meaningful look in his eyes. "I didn't think you wanted me to bug you."

"Please. Bug away," she gave a small laugh.

"So how's your classes going so far?" He had asked the first thing that came into his mind.

Arianna laughed again. "Is that your idea of small talk? I see I'm going to have to teach you a thing or two," she said to him teasingly.

Logan pretended to be offended. "That hurts. It really does. How will my ego ever go back to normal?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you'll find a way," Arianna said, rolling her eyes. "Anyways, to answer your question, classes are… boring. Except maybe Defence and Charms, but I always liked those two subjects."

He raised his eyebrows. "So even if it was a horrible attempt at small talk you still decide to answer me?"

"Why not?" Arianna said casually.

He turned his attention to the pub near them that was attracting about half of the Hogwarts students population. "Fancy getting a butterbeer with me, miss?"

"Since when do sixteen year old guys with raging hormones call girls 'miss'?" Arianna asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ever since he got the pleasure of accompanying a beautiful girl to Hogsmeade," he answered simply.

Arianna felt a blush creeping onto her cheeks. Why didn't she want to be his girlfriend again? She couldn't seem to remember. "I'd _love_ to get a butterbeer with you, _sir_."

"So my charm worked, huh?" he said, grinning mischievously.

Arianna snorted. "So that was an act? Well, then. I seem to have changed my mind."

He groaned. "I never know when to stop talking, do I?" he asked jokingly.

Arianna laughed and made a grab for his arm. "C'mon. I'll let you off this once. As long as you pay for me." She winked.

"And would I be a good date if I didn't?" Logan questioned her as he let her half drag him into The Three Broomsticks.

The pub was jam packed with students. The chatter was of course, very loud and it was a miracle that the two had even found a place to sit by themselves. Once the waitress walked over with their two orders of butterbeer, the two began their chat again.

"We should have gone to the Hog's Head," Arianna muttered, commenting on how crammed they all were in the pub.

Logan shook his head. "Are you joking? I would have horrible taste and class if I let my date go anywhere near there."

Arianna didn't answer but merely took a sip of her drink. She glanced around the room and immediately found James and Lily at the very corner, trying as hard as they could to enjoy the trip. But she saw through their fake smiles at once. She knew that they were still worried sick about Remus. And why shouldn't they be? Even if they knew he was going to be ok, that didn't mean that he was ok at that very moment.

"You've gone back to thinking about him, haven't you?" Logan asked her reluctantly.

"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly.

"Don't be. You have the right to be worried," he replied, understanding her.

"You can ask about it if you want. I could tell you wanted to since you saw me coming down the stairs," she said, turning her attention back to him.

He hesitated, but proceeded to question her anyways. "How did it happen?"

"What do the rumours say?"

"Attacked by the Whomping Willow. Found some kind of cursed object. But most people say that a few Slytherins had got to him after hours while he was patrolling."

Arianna glanced down warily. "I wouldn't be surprised if the latter was true."

"But it's not?"

She shook her head. "It was a dog, believe it or not. I don't know what he was thinking, walking around the grounds like that but, oh, I don't know, some sort of demonic pit bull or something found him. You get what happened next." At least it was half true.

"Demonic pit bull?"

"Well, it was some sort of big dog." Still not _completely_ lying.

There was a bit of a pause. "I know how you feel."

His voice was so soft, she thought she had misunderstood him at first. "Sorry?"

"My sister got attacked before. But it was because of, you know… Death Eaters."

A shiver went down her spine. Death Eaters. Lord Voldemort's followers. Just the thought of it scared her. "Do you mind me asking how it happened?"

He shook his head. "It was a long time ago. I was twelve at the time. She was just playing at the front yard. She was so innocent. I don't know what possessed them to do that to her."

Arianna took an involuntary gulp. She quickly took hold of her cup and made herself take more sips as she listened to him.

"Or maybe I do," he added darkly. "Anyways, she was in St. Mungo's for a month. We all thought she wouldn't make it at first. I even went through a phase where I blamed everything that happened to her on me. I couldn't look anyone straight in the eye for about a week."

Arianna continued to drink, afraid to say anything that would get him offended. Her hands slowly started to get fidgety, as if she didn't know what to do with them, as if clasping them tightly on her cup wasn't enough.

"But she's fine now," he reassured her, taking in the uncomfortable look on her face. "I don't think she'll be able to ever come here to Hogwarts with her condition, but at least she's not… dead. Right?"

He was looking at her hopefully, wishing that he had not scared her off with this serious talk about his personal life. Even though she did feel very much uncomfortable at where their chat went, she was grateful that he trusted and cared about her enough to share this piece of information with her. It was odd, actually. It even _felt_ like they were already boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Yes, of course," she answered him. "Look, I'm sorry about her. Your situation makes mine and Remus' seem so… melodramatic." It wasn't exactly the word she was looking for but it was close enough.

"It's not," he shook his head fervently. "I'd be the same way as you if that happened to my best mate."

She flashed him an appreciative smile. "Well, do tell your sister for me that I wish her all the best, though, would you?"

"Of course," he said happily. "Would you like another one?"

Arianna gave him a confused look before following his gaze and realizing that she had already finished all of her butterbeer. She blushed. "No, thank you. I'm fine. How about you?"

His glass didn't have a drop in it also, which was surprising because he had been the one talking the most. She hadn't even noticed him taking one sip. "I'm good too."

"Would you fancy a walk around before we head back?" Logan asked her after a few minutes of the two getting lost in their own thoughts.

"I'd love that," Arianna agreed and they both got up and proceeded to head out of the over-crowded pub.

It was much colder outside but Arianna was glad for it, seeing as she could properly breathe again. The people inside the Three Broomsticks had even managed to take a lot of the oxygen.

"So… what's with you and Sirius?"

The brunette looked up in surprise. She hadn't noticed that her gaze had gone to Sirius and a girl he had just met during the trip. They were sitting on the park bench that she and Logan had been on earlier and they were both eating ice cream. Sirius had an arm placed lazily around the blonde's shoulder. She was actually quite taken aback that she wasn't as mad at him now for starting to date again. She knew that it was only a matter of time before he would dispose of this one girl too and yet the thought didn't bug her. Maybe it was just because it was Reese that he had hurt…

"What about me and Sirius?"

"You can't possibly tell me there was never anything going on between you two," he said but once he saw the look on her face, he hesitated. "Not ever? You haven't even _thought_ about it?"

They made their way around Hogsmeade, getting farther and farther away from Sirius and his date. Arianna bit her lip. "Well, I think about it when people bring it up. But seriously, I can't really picture me and him going out."

Logan raised his eyebrows. "Well, practically every other human being besides you two can. I was actually a bit surprised when you agreed to go on this date with me."

"What is it with everyone thinking me and Sirius will get together? We're just _friends_, nothing more!" she said exasperatedly.

"You sure?"

She gave him a meaningful look. "I'm here with _you_, not with him, aren't I?"

He grinned. "So what you're saying is… I'm more handsome, more suave, charming, funny, cunning, and thoughtful than Sirius Black?" He winked.

Arianna laughed. "Of course."

He chewed on his lip. "Well that makes one girl." He gave her a lopsided smile. She gave a loud laugh and gleefully took his hand into hers. He really _was_ cheering her up.

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She tapped her foot impatiently, rifling through her Potions textbook. She was biting her nails unconsciously, a bad habit that she had always had. Wary looks kept being thrown her way.

"Ari, would you _please_ stop that? We can't wait to visit Remus too," Lily sighed.

"Yeah, don't make us have to drag you up to your dorm to get a bit of sleep like Caitlin," James added.

Arianna smiled apologetically at her friends. "Sorry. I get a bit fidgety when I've got things on my mind and stuff."

"A bit?" Sirius questioned her.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, a lot fidgety. Happy?"

"Not really," James muttered, turning back to the essay he was writing for Herbology.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure we'd be allowed to visit him by now, don't you think? Ari, could you go up and wake Caitlin?" Lily said, glancing at her watch.

Arianna bounced up, happy that she would finally get to see her friend again. Once Caitlin was downstairs and ready like the rest of them, they all made for Hospital Wing.

Madame Pomfrey seemed hesitant in letting them all in to see their friend but obliged just the same. She knew that she couldn't hold them all off any longer.

It was clear that Remus had been injured greatly by the extensive amount of bandages that adorned his body, although it wasn't quite as bad as it had been that night. He was awake, but anyone could tell by the way that his eyes drooped and how pale he was that he could do with a bit more sleep and rest. They immediately decided in their heads that they wouldn't stay long, just long enough to cheer him up a bit.

"Gosh, Moony, don't you look strikingly handsome?" James grinned as he made his way forwards. Remus managed to put on a small smile.

"I always knew you were the gay one, James. Why don't you just come clean to Lily already?" he rasped out.

Everyone let out a laugh. It was amazing that even with that many injuries, Remus was still bright and happy and could crack out a joke like that. It lifted Arianna's spirits immensely.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," James grumbled silently.

"How are you feeling, Remus?" Caitlin asked quietly after her laughter subsided.

"Oh, actually, I'm quite fine. Madame Pomfrey gave me a potion that would mask out the pain for hours at a time. Now I'm just really drowsy all of the time," he replied.

"Listen, mate, I'm sorry about all this," Sirius spoke up. Remus' face had gone expectant the moment Sirius said the first word.

"It's not your fault, Padfoot," he reassured his friend.

"I could have _killed_ you."

"But you didn't. And you prevented me from killing other people as well. Now why would I be mad at you for that?"

Sirius opened his mouth to speak but Remus cut him off before he could say anything. "You know how badly I would have taken it if you informed me the day after that I had killed innocent people. Trust me, I'd much rather have it this way."

Sirius gave a small nod and put on a sheepish smile.

"How long do you supposed you'll be in here?" Arianna asked, standing right above Remus' bed.

"Oh, I suspect about two days. Five days at most. It's not that bad, really," Remus answered her.

"We better leave you alone to rest, then. Having all of us in here must be a bit overwhelming to you," Lily whispered to him.

Remus sighed. "I suppose you better. It's for the best. Do tell me what I missed in class, though, would you?"

They laughed. "Typical Remus. Even when he's stuck in the Hospital Wing with injuries, all he can think about is school work." James rolled his eyes.

"Feel better," Peter said.

Everyone waved him goodbye before getting up and making their way towards the door. Caitlin turned and gave him a kiss on the cheek before following the others. Arianna turned and made a final glance at Remus once they had reached the doors and were about to go out into the hallway. She gave a small smile once she saw him looking back at her and the others, a faint smile on his face. A sort of relieved feeling that she hadn't felt until now coursed through her body. He would be all right.


	7. With Friends Like These

**A/N: **HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAITIE! As part of my birthday present, I FINALLY finished this chapter, just for you! Hahaa! (: And to everyone else, I am SO SORRY that I haven't updated in sooo long! I just got really tired of writing for a bit, and then high school started and.. mehh. Nevermind with the excuses. The main thing is: A NEW CHAPTER IS UP! Yaaay! Actually, I'm not all that proud of this chapter. It's not the very best written chapter there is and there's really nothing that important taking place in it. But it's still worth a read (; So pleaaase, Read&Review!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter. I'm glad to say, though, that I do own the plot of this story and Arianna and any other characters you might not recognize from the books. Which is at least more than what Caitlin can say since she has decided to write a spinoff of this story (: For anyone who wants to check it out, go to my favourites and click on 'Ruby Moon'. Her story is pretty darn awesome, if I do say so myself (:

And now, onwards with the story!!

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**Orange Skies:  
With Friends Like These**

_Tonight will change our lives  
It's so good to be by your side  
But we'll cry  
We won't give up the fight  
We'll scream loud at the top of our lungs  
And they'll think it's just cause we're young  
And we'll feel so alive_  
_The Great Escape - Boys Like Girls_

The room was dead silent aside from the crackling fire that never seemed to die down. Her head was buried in a book. It was not one that the teachers had assigned them to read, mind you. This book was purely for leisure. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her eyes startled, and she tapped her fingers lightly on the armrest. It was clearly a tense moment in a thriller. She was so caught up with the happenings in the volume that it had made her at unawares of what was happening in the real world. She took no notice when the portrait hole swung open and he had walked in, immediately spotting her in the deserted common room. She didn't even look up, startled, once he started to make his way towards her and he laughed inside his head. _Oh, how stealthy I am! _he thought gleefully.

And then he was right there in front of her, grinning like a madman. Placing his hands on both her shoulders, he leaned down, just as she finally looked up, surprised by her sudden companion. What happened next was inevitable. Their lips crashed in a soft, sweet kiss. It had only lasted a second - no, not even _that_ long, and yet hours later, she would lick her lips and still taste him there, as if he had only kissed her a moment before. It wasn't passionate, they were even questioning if it even had any meaning behind it. And yet it drove them _crazy_ just thinking about it.

When they broke apart, Arianna's eyes had been closed. It was so quick, somehow subtle, that she was at first certain that she had imagined it. It was somehow a figment of her imagination. The adrenaline she felt from the book had caused her to somehow hallucinate. But then why did she hear someone else's breathing so near her? She had then fluttered her eyes open and stared dumbfounded at the person before her. Sirius Black was still grinning, the familiar twinkle in his eye. It was as if he wasn't at all bothered by going around kissing his best friends, like it was a normal everyday occurrence.

She then opened her mouth, ready to ask him what he was doing but quickly closed it again. She had tried to get a word out, really she did. She wanted to ask him if he was crazy. Didn't he know that she had a boyfriend? But wait. Of course he didn't. She had only said yes to Logan that very morning. There was a possibility (albeit a slim one) that word hadn't reached Sirius yet. But even so, there was no reason for him to kiss her… was there? Unless maybe…

"What's a holiday spent at Hogwarts without a little kiss under a mistletoe?" He winked at her and indicated upwards and she felt a sudden relief wash over her. Looking upwards, she found that there was indeed the green shrub with red berries located above their heads. Why hadn't she noticed it before?

Arianna then opened her mouth, intending to say something again but alas, he was already gone. How in the bloody hell did he move that fast? There was no sign of him anywhere and no footsteps could be heard running up the stairs towards the boys' dormitories.

_Ugh, stupid Black and his womanizing ways. He can't even resist kissing his best friends! _Arianna then thought begrudgingly. _And if someone had seen that, they could have gotten the wrong idea too! Seriously, that boy doesn't think things through well enough, does he? Unless that kiss wasn't meant to be a joke and was supposed to be taken genuinely…_

The faint light glowing on the adolescent's fair skin showed that she then shuddered, most likely disgusted by the thought. Sure, her best friend was handsome and amazing in so many ways, no one could deny that. But them actually being a couple and _kissing_ much like they had just done and maybe even going farther than that? She felt repulsed even thinking it. And surely he did too. That kiss was just all in good holiday spirit. Nothing more. And somehow, she managed to convince herself that as she turned back to her reading. Matters of the real world would have to wait an hour or so anyways.

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Light snow wafted down effortlessly from the enchanted ceiling, the white flecks disappearing right before they managed to hit the polished floor. There was the faint sound of the revised version for wizards and witches of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer playing softly in the background as thirty or so students dined merrily in the Great Hall, taking in the lovely decorations that the teachers had put up in celebration for the Christmas Holidays.

Frost covered the windows and twinkling baubles, trinkets, and bells adorned the twelve massive Christmas trees that they had managed to fit in the spacious room. Holly was everywhere and wreaths were plastered up along the walls. There were even a few mistletoes much like the one in the Gryffindor Common Room floating around the area. It had indeed set a cheery mood amongst those who decided to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays.

Sitting along the Gryffindor table, Arianna swirled the butterbeer inside the cup that she held in her hand. Her eyes stared blankly down the hall as she absent-mindedly nodded to whatever Caitlin had just asked her. She barely even heard the sigh that escaped from her best friend's lips.

"Arianna, could you _please_ pay attention?"

The brunette started, finally breaking her gaze and looking Caitlin directly in the eye.

"What are you talking about? I _was_ paying attention."

Caitlin looked at her curiously. "You just agreed to go skinny-dipping in the lake tonight. It's frozen over, Ari You know, that's what usually happens during the winter."

Arianna bit her lip, her straight gaze now broken by a guilty look. "Sorry."

Her friend shrugged it off with a slight wave of the hand. Taking her fork, she took a piece of steak and stuffed it into her mouth. Just by the look that she was giving her, Arianna knew what she would ask next.

"I'm fine," she sighed, not bothering to wait for Caitlin's inquiry. "Just stuff on my mind."

Caitlin gulped down the last of her steak and continued with her questioning look but this time, with a slight smirk. "Remus getting attacked and almost dying or you and Logan doing the deed tonight kind of stuff?"

Arianna gave her a small smack in the head, all the while blushing at her friend's suggestion. "_No_, not any of those kinds of stuff. But thanks, I really needed to have _that_ thought in my mind as well."

Caitlin shrugged. "People do stupid stuff over the holidays. I presume it's because of a mixture of eggnog, butterbeer, and firewhiskey."

Raising her eyebrows, Arianna took a long swig of her drink before continuing. "Oh, and how exactly would you know this?"

Caitlin gave her a coy smile. "You have no idea what kinds of stuff I get into over the holidays when you're not around."

Arianna let out a strangled cough as she looked at her best friend in shock. The other girl merely laughed.

"Oh, relax. I'm only kidding. I've only ever been _really_ drunk twice and you were there for both occasions. Remember Alice and Frank's wedding?"

"What, the time where you drank a full bottle of firewhiskey by yourself?"

Caitlin let out a slight giggle. "That was the first time I ever drank firewhiskey period. I was pretty much delusional that whole night after that wasn't I?"

"Delusional would be putting it nicely," Arianna snorted. "You were dancing on the tables and if I remember correctly, you tried to seduce a mop."

Caitlin's smile didn't disappear from her face. "From what I heard, you weren't much better, Ms. Carden."

"At least I wasn't caught making out with fabric strips."

"Because stroking Frank's grandpa's hair is _so_ much better."

There was a brief silence before an eruption of loud laughter ensued. The small crowd that was inside the Great Hall turned to look at the two best friends, who were doubled up in hysterics. The two paid no heed to their patronizing stares, however, once they caught their breaths and the slight pink in their cheeks from laughing too much started to fade.

"No really, Arianna. You've been acting pretty weird since this morning. I saw the awkwardness between you and Sirius."

Stupid Caitlin. Why was it that she could forget what she had been doing only minutes before and yet when it came to pointing out potential awkward conversations, she was always a step ahead? Truth was, Arianna had been hoping that Caitlin hadn't noticed anything in her demeanour at all, but of course, that would be asking for too much wouldn't it?

Arianna had no idea how to respond to Caitlin's accusation. Things had been a bit edgy between her and Sirius as of the night before, when he decided to completely surprise her with a quick kiss. Whoever invented that stupid rule for those stupid holiday decorations anyways? She suspected that it was some loser type of guy who had to make up a stupid kissing rule because he had no other means of getting a girl. Or maybe it was just her anger getting the better of her.

More to the point, Arianna also couldn't reply to Caitlin's observation because she was confused. Just as it was a stupid rule for a stupid holiday decoration, it was also a stupid topic to get all worked up about. And yet here she was, apparently making it obvious to the world the awkwardness that had settled upon her and her best guy friend. What was there to be all awkward about in the first place? It wasn't as if that kiss had meant anything after all. And wasn't it perfectly normal for friends to kiss other friends purely out of platonic affection? Heck, even girls did it with other girls! Well, at least Arianna had half of the holidays to figure it all out in peace, seeing as Sirius went to the Potters' residence for Christmas.

"I mean, you'd think you two would be all horribly and exaggeratingly sad seeing as you two won't be spending Christmas together for the very first time since we met," Caitlin continued once she figured Arianna wasn't going to reply. "But was there any of the gushy fake tears I was betting on? No there was not! A quick, one-armed hug here, a mumbled goodbye there, and BAM! He's gone without you even batting an eyelash."

Whoever said Caitlin wasn't observant? Right, that was Arianna. Well that goes to show how much she knows.

For her part, Arianna tried to put on her best confused look. There was no way she was going to tell Caitlin what was going on inside her head. At least not yet. She knew full well what the response would be: a jubilant yelp accompanied by a screech of "I knew it! See, you _are_ falling for the gorgeous, charming Sirius Black!"

And she most certainly was not. At least, she hoped not.

"Well it's not like it's the end of the world or anything. I mean, they're flooing back to Hogsmeade in a week with Lily for New Years."

Caitlin scrutinized Arianna for a moment but could not find a flaw in her friend's answer. She had no choice but to brush it off.

"Besides, why are you worrying about that so much? I thought you'd be too ecstatic at the thought of Remus staying with us for Christmas to even notice a thing about anything else," Arianna added with a smirk, knowing full well that this topic would keep Caitlin's mind off of her and Sirius.

In return, Caitlin blushed a deep shade of crimson. It had been more than a month since the werewolf and dog tragedy and yet Caitlin's feelings for Remus still hadn't changed. In fact, they seemed to be growing stronger as Arianna noticed that the two had started spending more and more time together alone.

In a somewhat late reaction, Caitlin forced herself to look up, her face indignant. "Well, you don't know anything!" she exclaimed, making herself sound like a five year old.

"Au contraire, Ms. Hurst. I know all!" Arianna smiled triumphantly.

A snort emitted from somewhere behind the girls' heads. "Oh, and is that why you got a 'Dreadful' in your latest essay for Slughorn?"

Turning their heads, the grinning yet weary face of Remus Lupin came into view. One could tell that the past few months had been pretty rough on him, what with all the scratches and scars left from the tragic attack. Even sporting that mischievous smile on his face couldn't mask his tiredness. His eyes, though. His eyes sparkled with amusement no matter what.

Arianna casually waved a hand. "Oh, don't mind him. He's still a bit delusional from all those potions he had to take."

Remus sat himself down on the other side of Caitlin and laughed. "Ari, I haven't had to take any potions for the past three weeks," he informed her while taking a rather big helping of steak and putting it down on the plate before him. "Have you two already eaten? I'm starved!"

Caitlin shrugged. "Yeah. Actually, I think I've eaten enough tonight to last me this whole week! But we'll stay to keep you company."

"Thanks," Remus murmured before shoving a spoonful of food into his mouth. "So what exactly were you two talking about anyways?"

The same shade of red crept up onto Caitlin's face once again and Arianna let out a strangled cough while trying to drink her butterbeer. How exactly could they tell Remus that they had just been talking about him and his current relationship with Caitlin? That was one awkward conversation they both wished to avoid.

"Oh, I was just telling Caitlin that I was considering giving her a full-out makeover as her Christmas present," Arianna answered airily. "New hair, makeup, nails, wardrobe, the works! Can't you just imagine her in pink fluffyness? And a skirt that's not uniform! Le gasp!"

Caitlin did not have to fake her horrified look. Trusting Arianna with anyone else's appearance sure wasn't a good idea. She just hoped this really wasn't what she was planning to do as her Christmas present.

At this, Remus had to roll his eyes and laugh. Only Arianna would think of such a dreadful way to horrify her best friend. And only Caitlin would have been that horrified at Arianna's idea. "Well in all fairness, I think Caitlin's fine just the way she is."

This earned a jubilant 'ha!' from Caitlin and a sour expression from Arianna.

"But," Remus continued, "it wouldn't kill for you to get new clothes, would it Caitie? I thought girls loved that kind of thing. You should hear some of them sometimes. Can't go a weekend without ordering a skirt or something from a catalogue."

"At least they _own_ a skirt. When was the last time you saw Caitlin willingly put on a dress or something that showed her legs?"

Caitlin grumbled inaudibly. She couldn't believe that they had gotten around to talking about _this _of all things. Wasn't the whole 'makeover gift' just a cover up for what her and Arianna were really talking about? Now she just might be forced into wearing a pink fluffy skirt or a somewhat revealing dress. And all because she had to go and develop feelings for Remus. Even worse, she didn't know just how deep these feelings for him were. Was it love? She had always thought that if she fell in love, she would know right away, that she wouldn't have to question it. But now she found herself questioning just about everything that concerned him. It was all just so complicated and she wished that she didn't have to deal with it. But she guessed it was all part of being a teenager. It automatically came with the package.

"Actually, I don't think that's a bad idea," Remus mused just as Peter appeared and sat down beside him. "You know, we should get her a dress for that New Years party we were talking about."

"The one in the Room of Requirements?" Peter asked and Remus nodded.

"Oh gosh, Remus, that's a brilliant idea!" Arianna squealed happily. "What do you say, Caitie? At least just for one night! Please? And Remus will help me pick out the dress so you know you'll have a guy's approval!"

Caitlin liked the thought of her wearing something that Remus had picked out just for her. Although she would never admit it, that was the sole reason why she quickly decided to agree to their suggestion.

"I'm not going to be able to change your minds about this, am I?" she asked, pretending to be doubtful. Both Arianna and Remus shook their heads in mock seriousness. "Well, ok. But for one night only!"

"Done," Remus smiled.

"And done," Arianna said, giving Caitlin a light shove.

A slight silence then fell upon the four. Peter and Remus continued with their dinner as Caitlin and Arianna stared around the Great Hall aimlessly. Both were now lost in thought, each thinking about relationships, love, and that one certain guy that captured their hearts. Typical teenaged girls.

Caitlin would casually sneak a glance at Remus every now and then. She found it odd that she could have these feelings for him and still feel as comfortable around him as when she thought of him as just a friend. It was a weird feeling, especially since whenever she liked any other guy, she always felt awkward and out of place whenever she was near that person. But with Remus it was different and she felt comforted knowing that. Even though they weren't even boyfriend and girlfriend and she wondered if they ever would be, she at least knew that they would have a relationship that would last about a billion times longer than her relationship with any other guy.

For Arianna's part, she was also very content with the current place she was at with a boy. Logan wasn't perfect, and over the past month, she saw more and more of his imperfections, but that didn't make her stop liking him. In fact, it just made her attraction to him grow stronger. She was sure that agreeing to be his girlfriend was no mistake. And if, heaven forbid, they break up in the future, she hoped that it wouldn't ruin their friendship in any way because along with the Marauders, he was the best guy friend she could ever have.

Then there was Sirius. The thought of her and Sirius ever becoming a couple was just too ridiculous that Arianna didn't even linger on the subject for very long. The kiss was just a kiss and kisses didn't have to mean anything. And once Sirius came back from the holidays, everything would be back to normal. No more awkwardness and uncomfortable silences. Period.

But the most mind blowing realization Arianna had while sitting there at the Great Hall and watching three of her best friends was that it was their sixth Christmas with each other. It might not seem all that significant to others, but considering how much people change and how often friends break apart, Arianna felt that it was amazing that they had all lasted this long without having a falling out. It made her realize how much she should really treasure the friends she had.

"Y'know this is our sixth Christmas together," Arianna cried out randomly.

Caitlin gave her a weird look. "Yes, Ari. That's what usually comes after the fifth Christmas together."

Arianna rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know that. What I meant was that it's just amazing that we all managed to stay best friends for so long without ever having a big fight. Most groups don't even last three years!"

"Yes, well we're special that way," Peter grinned.

"Special ed you mean? Cause I know Caitie is," Arianna smirked, winking at Caitlin.

"Thanks, Ari. I love you too," Caitlin replied while rolling her eyes.

"Of course you do!" Arianna said happily.

"Wow, I can still remember our very first Christmas so clearly," Remus piped up with a thoughtful look.

Arianna nodded. "Same here."

"Remember the Barbie doll?" Caitlin added while giving a hearty laugh.

"I remember what became of it after James tried to burn it, sure!" Peter replied, also laughing.

"That was the best Christmas ever," Arianna whispered, now deep in thought. It truly was, since they were only eleven years old at the time and still ignorant to the bad things in the world. There had been no drama then. No one was concerned about friendships, or family, or the opposite sex. They were oblivious to Lord Voldemort and his gradual rise to power. All had been well and Arianna remembered everything clear as day. She only wished everything had been just as easy as it had been that Christmas Eve…

"_Sirius drank too much butterbeer again!"_

_Everyone turned their heads to watch a suddenly green Sirius dash out of the Potters' living room. Their only guess was that he made a quick run for the bathroom so that he could throw up the contents of that night's dinner._

_Lily rolled her eyes as everyone threw their heads back and laughed. "I reminded him of that one time at Hogwarts when he did that and was stuck in the bathroom for ages. But does he listen? Noooo!"_

_Arianna sighed and threw herself down beside Lily on one of the many comfy couches that were placed in the Potter household. There was a fireplace located right in front of them and the eleven year olds passed Christmas Eve there roasting marshmallows and talking merrily. "Oh relax, Lils. You're beginning to sound like my mother."_

_In return, Lily snorted. "Oh please. My mother was ten times worse than that. Honestly, she's probably the queen of nagging and such."_

"_Really? From what I've seen, your mother seems awfully nice," Caitlin said, licking off some of the sticky marshmallow that was on her fingertips._

"_She's a great actress, my mother is. She can fool anyone into thinking she's normal. Wait until you've actually lived with her. But I suppose I wouldn't have her any other way."_

_Remus shrugged. "I read somewhere that most people panic when a thing in their life changes dramatically, no matter how small or unimportant that thing may be. If your mom stopped nagging you, you'd probably be downright scared of her."_

_James laughed. "You're always off reading some weird book, Remus."_

"_And if I stopped, you would wonder what was wrong with me, wouldn't you?" Remus asked, smiling._

"_Well, yeah, I suppose so." James looked baffled._

"_See? I rest my case."_

_James rolled his eyes but chose not to respond. Instead, he spotted something slightly sticking out from Lily's trunk, which she still hadn't brought up to her room._

"_What's that?" he asked and immediately jumped and made a grab for it, not even waiting for Lily to answer. He held it up for everyone to see and Arianna gasped once she recognized the plastic object._

"_You have a Barbie? Still?" she asked Lily, who blushed furiously._

"_It reminds me of home," she mumbled._

"_You know, I never liked Barbies. Whenever someone from my family would get me one, I'd make use of them by setting them on fire or something exciting like that," Arianna said, grabbing the Barbie doll from James and starting to tug at its hair._

"_Set a what now on fire?" Sirius asked, finally having returned from the bathroom._

"_A Barbie." Arianna held up the perfect figurine for Sirius to look at. "Just about every muggle girl has had one at least once in their lifetime."_

_Sirius looked at it curiously with a bemused expression on his face. "What's so special about it?"_

_Arianna chuckled. "Absolutely nothing. I find it especially boring but most girls fawn over this thing when they're little. Or when it reminds them of home." She gave Lily a sideways glance and then held it out for her to take back._

"_I'll refrain from setting it on fire just for you, Lils," she smiled playfully._

_Lily smiled back at her. "Thanks, Ari."_

"_So who wants more butterbeer?"_

_Everyone looked at Sirius with a half exasperated and half amused expression. "You can't be serious?" Peter asked._

"_Dear boy, you should know my name by now. Of course I'm Sirius!" _

_The rest of the group groaned. Caitlin smacked him on the back of the head lightly. "We've only been friends for about four months now and we've already heard you use that joke to last us a lifetime."_

"_Oh don't even say that, dear Caitie. You know that deep, deep down, you love hearing that joke."_

"_Um, Siri, hows about you just stop using that mouth for a bit? You know, stop talking and drinking liquids that could potentially ruin the Potters' upholstery. Here, hows about you eat some marshmallows instead?" Arianna said and tried to shove the marshmallow that she had been roasting into Sirius' mouth. The only problem was that Sirius turned his head at the last possible second and she got the sticky food all over his cheek instead._

_Sirius gasped in mock horror. "You got sticky stuff all over my beautiful, handsome face!"_

"_And who ever said that you were vain?" Remus asked while rolling his eyes. Then with a swift movement of his hands, he got his marshmallow to stick to Sirius' other cheek._

"_Oh, so it's a marshmallow fight that you want, eh? Well everyone better cover up because now that you've pretty much covered up my gorgeous face, I'm going to have to do the same to yours!" Sirius growled and randomly jumped to tackle down Lily._

_Lily squealed and tried to get off of Sirius, who was now lying awkwardly on top of her on the couch. "Sirius! You don't even have a marshmallow!"_

_A slight 'O' formed on Sirius' lips as he came to this realization. Then he just shrugged it off and proceeded to tickle Lily instead._

"_Sirius! Get -- off of -- mee!" Lily screamed out in between gasps for air. She was double over in laughter and was trying to get out from under Sirius' grasp._

_A sudden loud cry caused Sirius to stop for just a second. And that was all that Lily needed as she pushed him off so that he fell onto the carpet. Arianna then jumped down on top of him and proceeded to cover his whole face with some whipped cream that she had just grabbed from a table. Lily also joined her by tickling his sides very much that same way that he had been doing to her just moments before,_

"_This is so not fair!" Sirius cried out while both trying to push off Arianna and trying not to laugh._

"_All is fair in love and war," Arianna said. Then as an afterthought: "I really don't have a clue how that fits into this whole situation, but it sounded cool in my mind."_

_After that, complete pandemonium ensued. It turned from everyone ganging up on Sirius to a free for all and with countless amount of foods to be thrown and numerous bodies to be tackled and tickled, there was no surprise that when Mr. and Mrs. Potter came home from their Christmas Eve dinner out, the living room seemed like it had just been home to a hurricane._

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Light music played softly in the background as rose petals descended to the floor ever so gracefully. Candles floated elegantly around the room, providing a slight glow to bring an air of mystery and romance while a small light hung directly above a table that sat only two. A bouquet of flowers sat in the middle of this table bringing with it a nice, faint scent.

"You shouldn't have done all of this," Arianna whispered, not daring to step into the room. She looked up, her eyes seeking Logan's and finding them twinkling with joy.

"I told you I planned something special," he answered, giving her a grin.

"Christmas Eve dinner with you is special enough, Logan," Arianna insisted breathlessly.

Logan raised an eyebrow. "Alright, would you like me to clear all this away? We can have dinner down at the Great Hall with everyone else. I always knew you didn't like all the privacy."

Arianna laughed. "No no! I just felt like I had to say that. Because you know, that's what they always say on TV."

Logan gave her a confused look. "What's a TV?"

"I, uh, well.. never mind. Just don't worry. I love it!" Arianna reassured him.

"Good. Now were you planning on stepping in or were you just gonna admire the scenery from afar?"

Arianna grinned. "Actually, I was planning on taking a picture first, but if you _insist _on rushing me…"

"Oh well if I knew that you were going to take a picture… See I didn't even know that you owned a camera. The things you don't tell me…" Logan feigned sadness.

"Oh, now are you going to turn into the protective boyfriend who's going to demand to know anything and everything about his girlfriend including where she is at all times?" Arianna teased.

"Who says I'm not already?" Logan gave a mischievous smile.

"Oh? And what's that supposed to mean? Have you been stalking me?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Now will you _please_ just go in the room? I'm starved!"

Arianna rolled her eyes as she stepped in and took her seat at the table. "Men and their food."

"We couldn't live without it."

"No one can live without it, Logan," Arianna laughed and gave him a wink.

"Oh, lucky me. I've got myself a smart girlfriend!" Logan said with mock excitement.

"And a very pretty one, too," Arianna replied and stuck her tongue out.

"Not to mention _very_ mature," Logan said and picked up his spoon and fork, ready for the first course to appear.

"Of course," Arianna replied just as the salad appeared. She watched amusedly as Logan gulped it all down in only one minute at the most.

"That must have been a record," she laughed.

"Meh, I can do better. Now will you please take a bite? It would be rude of me to start the next course without you and I'm still starved. Salad isn't very filling you know."

"So I've heard. Now quick. Time me!" And with that, Arianna quickly shoved all the contents on her plate, chewing quickly and swallowing forcefully. Once she was done, she looked up at her boyfriend with a big smile.

"Thirty seven seconds! And who's the pig now?" Logan said, laughing at his girlfriend's antics.

"You still are," Arianna said and just on time, the pasta appeared and Logan was back to stuffing his face with food.

The next hour was spent in this fashion. The couple sat and ate while they joked around with each other. Their friendship was apparent and it was clear that they were very comfortable with each other. It didn't matter if they embarrassed themselves every now and then and they would just laugh and brush it off. Anyone who looked in on their date would have thought that they were the perfect couple. The ones that everyone would envy. No thoughts of Sirius came to Arianna's mind that night, as it should be.

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"It's Christmastime! Oh jolly Christmastime!"

Arianna groaned. Of all the days that Caitlin decided to get up earlier than her…

"Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead!" Caitlin mumbled as she climbed onto Arianna's bed. Getting under the covers, Caitlin lightly tickled Arianna in the neck and whispered in her ear, "Guess who's got biiiig, gigantic, humongo presents?"

At this, Arianna perked up. Finally opening her eyes and raising her head, she looked at Caitlin. "Me?"

"Of course you, silly girl! Now open 'em up. I wanna see what you got."

That was when Arianna first noticed the piece of chocolate Caitlin was sucking on and she immediately knew what it was and the kinds of effects it had on you. One lick and you'd be energized for the whole day, hyperness and all.

"Peter gave them to me. For when I'm impossible to wake up in the mornings," Caitlin said once she saw what Arianna was looking at.

"I don't know whether to thank him or hit him in the head for that one," Arianna said as she eyed the chocolate warily. Having an extremely hyper Caitlin in the morning was just as bad as having an angry one.

"Haha, funny. Now open your presents!" Caitlin said and pushed Arianna out of her bed.

It took Arianna about twenty minutes to unwrap and admire all the presents that had been given to her. While she did, Caitlin watched and gasped and 'ohhhed' and 'ahhhed' at all the right times. Arianna couldn't help but giggle at the effects the chocolate were having on Caitlin, the most un-squealy girl she had ever met.

Arianna herself had to squeal at some of the presents she got. Really, her friends and family knew her well. Her parents had given her a collection of Cds that they knew she would love, along with a CD player. On top of that, they had also given her some new clothes and a bit of money. Peter had given her the same enchanted chocolate that he had given Caitlin and also a scarf that had her three favourite colours on it. Remus bought her a new potions kit since her last one went up in flames during a potions class. He also got her the bracelet she had said she wanted when they were looking over a catalogue for Caitlin's dress. James got her a book on Quidditch and her very first broom handling kit (with a note that said he would teach her all about flying and Quidditch once he got back since he knew how much she had been wanting to try it).

The presents that touched her most, though, were Caitlin, Lily, Sirius, and Logan's presents. Lily and Caitlin got her a combined present. It was a scrapbook that contained almost every picture they had taken, along with captions. There were also ticket stubs, cards, inside jokes, and just about everything else that symbolized their friendship. They had also gotten her Cinderella-like glass slippers with diamond studs all around them. Arianna had almost tackled down Caitlin with the mighty force of the hug she gave her when she opened her present. Sirius had gotten her the most beautiful dress that she had ever seen. It was a mix of the colour black and deep red and it was spaghetti strapped. It was fitted around the bodice but once it got to her waist, it flowed out elegantly. With showing just enough cleavage and leg to make her look like the beautiful sixteen year old that she is but not enough for anyone to think of her as slutty. Logan's present was just as amazing, if not more. Arianna wasn't used to getting jewellery from her boyfriends so she didn't exactly know the requirements, but she was willing to bet that Logan's present met them all. He had gotten her what was no doubt an expensive necklace and ring. Both had diamonds on them and the necklace was in the shape of a heart. Also, if you looked closely at it, you could see the faint outline of a heart with wings glowing in purple. There was no need for any light to get the jewellery to twinkle for it glittered all on its own and Arianna couldn't resist putting it on straight away.

"It looks _amazing_ on you, Ari," Caitlin said in awe. "By the way, did I ever mention that I completely envy you for having someone like Logan as a boyfriend? Look at that, I'm not even ashamed to admit it!"

Arianna had to laugh. And she also had to admit that if their roles were switched and Caitlin had been the one to get the jewellery, she would have been green with envy too. What girl wouldn't want to get such a pretty necklace and ring for Christmas?

"You know, I really don't want to do anything today," Arianna mumbled, making a grab for a container full of chocolate frogs.

Caitlin shrugged. "I'll stay in here if you will."

Just then, the door to the almost empty dormitory opened and in came Remus and Peter with big grins on both faces. It did not surprise the two girls whatsoever that the boys managed to find a way to get up into the girls' dormitory: they had been doing so since their third year.

"Merry Christmas!" Remus cried out jubilantly.

"AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Caitlin yelled and jumped forward to tackle down both Remus and Peter with a big bear hug.

"By the way Peter, you know that chocolate you gave us? _Very_ effective," Arianna laughed as she joined in on pinning down the two boys on her bed.

"We're holding you captive here the whole day," she added.

"That's right!" Caitlin said. "Get comfy boys, I think we're about to embark on an adventure!"

"Does this adventure involve just laying in bed all day and talking and only getting up for bathroom breaks and food?" Arianna asked with a twinkle in her eye.

"This adventure involves us laying in bed and talking and only getting up for bathroom breaks, food, _and_ the occasional pillow and food fights," Caitlin answered.

And that was exactly what they did.


	8. Hide and Seek: Part I

**A/N: **So, I haven't updated in... a year and a half? Yes, you can throw rocks at me if you wish. I've become _really_ lazy at writing and I regret that! But thankfully, some friends have encouraged me into writing more and therefore - tada! New chapter! I know that it's not long _at all_, which I hate. I like my chapters to be somewhat lengthy. But I felt that it just _had_ to end there.. so.. read on and find out exactly what I'm rambling about! :P

Special thanks to my friend, Justine, who nagged me non stop to keep on writing. Without her, this chapter might never have been completed! :)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any characters you will recognize from the books.

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**Orange Skies:  
Hide and Seek: Part 1**

_My secret is fatally gorgeous, I'd die for you  
__But in this Bonnie and Clyde kind of romance,  
Tell me what would you do?  
My secret is fatally gorgeous, I'd die for you  
But when your precious life is at stake  
Tell me would you die for me too?  
__Black Dresses - The Spill Canvas_

Dark red and yellow liquid glowed under the firelight, the glasses which contained them scattered along the floor or held under tentative grasps. When swallowed, the amber fluid burned the throat with such intensity that those who were not accustomed to the particular drink would have undoubtedly gagged. Thankfully, this was not the first time for those in the party who had decided to drink the night away. In fact, this was merely one of many times that these seven teenagers had decided to become intoxicated. With a little persuasion from Sirius, of course. Because what fun would a "homecoming" be without a little celebration?

And yes, this occasion certainly could be classified as a homecoming. If one decided to ignore the fact that he was only gone for a mere week, that is. But one should also consider the fact that this was the very first time that he had spent Christmas without every one of his closest friends. As a result, a makeshift Christmas was made in the Room of Requirements, cheesy holiday songs and all.

"All I want for Christmas"-hiccup-"is youuu!" Caitlin sang jubilantly and rather out of tune.

Ah, the effects of firewhiskey.

"Oh, and who might you be talking about?" Lily asked in between a fit of giggles. Her flaming red hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and she was dressed rather comfortably in purple pyjamas and a tank top. Normally, she wouldn't have condoned the kind of behaviour that she was currently displaying but after a few minutes of pleading done by James, there was nothing she could do but give in.

"Only because I didn't get to have a proper Christmas with the others!" she had insisted.

The Room had been made to fit all seven comfortably, with large soft couches gathered in the middle of the spacious chamber. Lined against one wall were several enormous beds with warm, fluffy blankets and oversized pillows. There was a crackling fire burning red oak wood in the elegant fireplace set at the very back and enchanted candles floated about the room. Of course, a Christmas slumber party wouldn't be complete without a Christmas tree and a shining star sitting on the very tip.

"Why, I'm talking about lovely Peter, of course. Couldn't you have guessed?" Caitlin giggled and gave the boy a wink.

Peter emitted a nervous chuckle and proceeded to take another sip from his glass. Arianna laughed at the exchange and wrapped an arm around the boy, who was sitting to the left of her. "Yes, he is quite charming, isn't he?"

Caitlin hit her playfully. "Now now, dear Ari. Don't get too comfy. Whatever happened to that charming fellow who happens to be your boyfriend hmm?" Her words came out slurred and Remus reached over and made a grab for the glass that was in her hand. Caitlin yelped out in an attempt to protest and stretched her arm to try and retrieve her beverage. In return, Remus, with a slight twinkle in his eye, raised the glass above his head knowing full well that Caitlin wouldn't be able to reach without having to get up properly. A groan escaped from the girl's lips as she jumped up to try to win back the firewhiskey and instead fell with a _thud_ against Remus himself. However, she did not make any attempts to remove herself for this new found position but instead rested her head against the werewolf's chest.

James, who had his arm wrapped around Lily, gave the two a curious look before turning to Arianna. "Yes, where is good 'ol Logan? I've been tryng to find him since we arrived this afternoon. Haven't had a nice chat with him in a while."

Arianna raised her eyebrows. "Oh, and what is this nice chat going to entail?"

"Oh, you know… the usual. I was _very briefly_ going to mention you and how much his insides will hurt if he ever does anything to make you even the slightest bit unhappy," James replied with a sheepish grin.

Arianna rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at James. Sadly, with her lousy aim and impaired judgement, the fluffy object hit Lily instead. A muffled _'ow' _was heard before Lily was reduced to another fit of giggles.

"James, don't be such a git. Logan is a great guy. He won't hurt me," Arianna insisted.

James shrugged. "Well I'm sorry that my brotherly instincts get the better of me."

Arianna had to laugh. No matter how annoying their over protectiveness was, she was glad that she had great guys like these to act as her brother when her real one wasn't around. There were times when she missed Nick dearly, even though when he was around, all they would do was get on each others nerves. There was just something so comforting about knowing that there was some sort of manly (although she would sometimes question this choice of word) figure there to protect her whenever she needed it. Never would she take the Marauders for granted.

"Well, if you really _must_ know, he went for a trip to Hogsmeade earlier with that Ben fellow from his house. I suppose he'd be back by now, though," Arianna informed the rest.

"Hawkins?" The name sounded unpleasant coming from Sirius' mouth.

Arianna turned to look at him. The memory of the kiss they had shared a week ago was still clear in her mind but she refused to let any awkwardness get in between her and one of her closest friends. She had come to the conclusion that there was no meaning to the kiss and Sirius only proved her thoughts when he came back happy and normal as ever.

"Yes, why?"

Sirius took a big gulp from his glass. "Never liked that boy much. Arrogant prick if you ask me."

"Oh, so what exactly does that make you?" Caitlin smiled sweetly. Arianna laughed and quickly dodged a pillow thrown at her. Caitlin, however, got smacked right in the face.

"Why must everyone abuse me tonight?" she mumbled sadly. No one seemed to pay any attention.

Taking a glance at Sirius, Arianna noticed the uncomfortable expression on his face. It seemed almost like… _pain. _When the two met eye to eye, the boy's appearance darkened even more and a horrible feeling rushed through her veins. It was deeply unsettling to her that she didn't have the faintest clue what was troubling him so. They used to share everything with each other, even the most graphic details of snog sessions and the play-by-plays of their latest break ups. Now, it seemed as if this bond was slowly deteriorating. Maybe there had been too many things left unsaid…

_Olly olly oxen free._

Those were the words they always said to each other right before they shared a secret and those were the words that she mouthed to him in the midst of the conversation that had started back up again. He seemed surprise to see those words from her mouth but all the same, he gave her a small nod in return.

_Later._

No one else had seen the exchange. Then again, even if someone did see the words passed between the two, they would not be able to make any sense of it, partially because they were all too drunk to think properly. Sirius, being the one out of seven who was most accustomed to drinking alcohol, didn't have a problem with consuming several glasses of firewhiskey while Arianna simply chose to drink moderately.

To the boys' amusement, Lily and Caitlin were busy doing an imitation of Ben and his latest female conquest. Lily had turned her ponytail into a tight bun in an attempt to look more manly and Caitlin would flutter her eyelashes constantly in her direction. Both could not stand up properly without the aid of an armchair.

"Aren't you just a pretty little thing?" Lily said in a remarkably low voice.

Caitlin giggled and fluttered her eyelashes once more. "Why thanks, Ben. You're so charming and ohhhhh so manly!"

Lily wrapped around Caitlin's shoulders. "Glad you think so, baby. Why don't we take this conversation to a broom cupboard?"

Both girls made kissing faces at each other before collapsing on a couch in a round of hysterics. James, Remus, and Peter were also laughing uncontrollably while Arianna and Sirius watched them all in amusement.

"How did we ever end up with friends like these?" Arianna shook her head while a smile crept up on her face.

Just then, Caitlin started up another Christmas song and motioned for the others to join in and sing with her. There were even a few attempts at actions to go along with the words.

Sirius laughed. "I honestly have no idea."

--

The room was enveloped in complete silence. The fire in the fireplace was slowly dying down and the candles that floated around the room were extinguished. Sirius stared blankly at the ceiling while Arianna tiptoed across the room towards the bed in which he occupied. Once she arrived at her destination, she gingerly climbed under the covers and turned to stare at him with a curious look on her face.

It took Sirius some time before he turned to meet her gaze. He then proceeded to give her the faintest of smiles and motioned for her to start the conversation.

"I never got a chance earlier to thank you for the present you got me," Arianna whispered. "It's beautiful. More than that, really."

Sirius laughed. "That's why you called this very important, sacred meeting?"

Arianna gave him a light punch. "Let me be nice to you, you git!"

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Usually, nice people don't hit their friends."

"Well you're not being very friendly."

"Or maybe someone's just being sensitive."

"Or full of himself."

"Or stubborn."

"Or… wait, ugh! Stop getting me off track, Sirius!"

"But fighting's what we do best, m'dear." Sirius playfully tousled Arianna's hair.

"Hmph."

"Okay, so maybe I can take a guess what this is really about."

The sentence loomed over their silent forms for at least a minute. Arianna began to absentmindedly play with Sirius' hair in an attempt to distract herself. If there had been more light in the room, she would have noticed the tortured expression on her best friend's face. Perhaps then she wouldn't have proceeded to brush the back of her hand against his cheek.

"You really shouldn't do that, Ari. What would Logan think?" Sirius' voice was strained and Arianna had to listen closely to make sense of his words.

"We've been best friends for years. He shouldn't get jealous, he knows nothing's ever going to happen between us. That'd just be too weird. I mean really, Sirius, you of all people should know that."

Sirius gently pushed Arianna's hands off of him. "That's not what everyone else seems to think."

Arianna rolled her eyes in aggravation. "Yeah, so everyone thinks we're secretly a couple. What else is new?"

"That's not exactly a good thing when you have a boyfriend, Ari," Sirius insisted.

"Logan doesn't have a problem with you!"

"You don't see the looks he gives me," Sirius muttered, turning away.

Arianna felt anger boil up inside her. She couldn't believe what Sirius was accusing her boyfriend of. "Logan is a great guy, Sirius! He understands how close we are, and he would _never_ be hostile to you because he knows how much you mean to me!"

"He's really the perfect little angel now isn't he?" Sirius spat out bitterly.

"You have no idea how ridiculous you sound right now," Arianna said, shaking her head. "You're accusing my boyfriend of giving you dirty looks when _you_ kissed me when I was already going out with him!"

Sirius made a sudden movement and sat up on the bed. "That's not my fault. I was just having a bit of fun and I had no idea then that you were going out with him!"

Arianna let out a burst of laughter and was glad that everyone was too drunk and out of it to wake up from all the commotion she and Siriu were making. "So your idea of fun is to go around kissing any random girl that you see under a mistletoe? What if someone had seen us Sirius? Do you know how much gossip would have gone around the school? _'Sirius and Arianna are dating! Yes! I saw them kiss in the common room! Yes, with my own two eyes!'_ Do you have _any_ idea how bad that would have been for me and Logan? We probably wouldn't still be going out right now!"

"So maybe I didn't think it all the way through," Sirius replied lamely.

"That's the problem with you, Sirius. You _never_ think things all the way through. You _never_ consider anyone's feelings above your own. That's why there's a mile long trail of broken hearted girls behind you. You are _just like_ Ben Hawkins. You hate him so much because you see in him what you try your hardest not to see in yourself!"

This time, there was no masking the hurt in Sirius' face. "Like I said before, Ari, if you hate the way I act so much, then why don't you just stop being friends with me?"

Arianna felt a lump in her throat. This was their most intense argument to date and tears threatened to spill out of her eyes because of his words and how calmly he had said them. Because as much as Sirius frustrated her to death, and however many arguments they had, Sirius' friendship was like air to her. He always had to be there and without his presence, she would surely die.

All of a sudden, Sirius swung is legs over the edge of the bed and got up. Without even taking a glance at Arianna, he made his way towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Arianna whispered.

"Out. I need some air," Sirius replied sharply. Then, he stopped mid-step and turned back to face her. "And just for the record, do you want to know exactly what I was thinking when I decided to kiss you? I thought to myself, _'Arianna looks INCREDIBLY pretty today. There's nothing I want to do more than kiss her right now.' _Is that enough of my secrets for you? Because I'm tired of this hide and seek game we're playing."

With that, he opened the door and stormed out of the Room of Requirements, leaving Arianna to crash down and bury herself in the sheets that still smelled faintly of him.


	9. Hide and Seek: Part II

**A/N:** Another chapter is up! Woohoooo! And it took me WAY LESS than a year and a half to update! Aren't you all so proud? :) Ok, so I guess you should all thank Justine again for pestering me non-stop. She's a great influence, doncha think? ;) Anyhow, please go on and read. And don't forget to review m'loves!

**Disclaimer:** Aren't we all tired of this? I don't own Harry Potter, I think we all get the picture.

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**Orange Skies:  
Hide and Seek: Part 2**

_Atlanta started raining on me,  
and teenage love was underground.  
Tonight I'll break the surface.  
Atlanta started raining on me,  
but no young girl was claiming me,  
or naming me.  
And destiny gets nervous.  
__She Paints Me Blue - Something Corporate_

_Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump._

There was a drum beating on the inside of her head, Arianna was sure of it. A loud groan escaped her mouth as she turned over underneath the collection of sheets and comforters piled on top of her. Why had she felt so cold the night before? She could remember the shivering, the gasping. She remembered curling up into a ball and shaking violently. She remembered the bottle, that cursed bottle, that was filled to the brim with alcohol. The one that she conveniently found right beside the bed after Sirius had walked out on her. The one that she had drained in just a few quick minutes.

But she couldn't think about that right now. Her mind was spinning, racing from one thought to another, pictures flashing at rapid speed in her mind. All the while, she tried to keep herself from gagging from that taste in her mouth. That foul taste. What did she drink? She wasn't sure. Why was she drinking? Ah, well that was the part she didn't want to remember. Unfortunately, that was the most vivid piece of memory that kept playing in her mind.

_Why don't you just stop being friends with me?_

Those words had pierced into her heart. Why did he keep insisting that she do that? He knew that she couldn't live without him. There was no denying that fact. He had become one of the most important things in her life, the ever looming presence that went along with her everywhere. Even during summer vacations, when they would spend weeks apart, they would always find the time to write to each other to fill that void of not being with each other in person. Friendship wasn't something that you could just _quit._

_There's nothing I want to do more than kiss her right now._

She shook. She didn't know what the meaning behind that sentence was, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to find out. The one thing she knew for sure was that she was bound to ask him. Curiosity always got the better of her and she hated it. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know the truth. Because the truth could be hard and cruel. It could be earth shattering and life changing. That's why people lie.

Hot tears stung her cheeks and she knew that she had to get up. She couldn't keep on lying in the sheets that were drenched with his scent. Pushing them off, she found enough strength to plant her feet on the ground and stand up. While she took small steps toward the door, she had to keep a strong hold on the furniture for the whole room was spinning. Thankfully, the spinning stopped once she reached the door and she was left only with the worst headache imaginable.

Just as she was about to push the door ajar, a muffled sound came from the cluster of beds.

"Ari?"

She turned to find Remus trying to sit up on his bed, squinting at her.

"Go back to bed, Remus. You'll need a lot of rest for tonight."

_Tonight._ Arianna completely forgot. Tonight was the big New Years Party that was to be held in the very room she stood in. The pounding in her head suddenly seemed more pronounced and painful. She was expected to show up, of course. Why wouldn't she? She was supposed to arrive with her arm in Logan's and a beaming smile plastered on her face. She was expected to mingle with the crowd and laugh along with everyone while showing off Sirius' present to his envious fan girls. _Oh god._

"You should get some more sleep too, Ari. You look like a mess," Remus mumbled.

"Huh. I feel like it," Arianna muttered as she shuffled out.

Her first destination was the washrooms and she was grateful that the hallway was deserted. The last thing she needed was a bunch of strangers staring and gawking at her and talking. She assumed she would not be able to handle much noise at the moment.

Inside the washroom, she made a beeline for the mirrors. Once she got a look at her reflection, she groaned. Her hair was all over the place and her eyes looked puffy and red. Her nose appeared red and she seemed pale. She decided to wash her face first before pulling her hair into a loose bun. Sadly, there was nothing that she could do about her eyes and she sighed for she knew that as far as her appearance was concerned, this was the best that she would be able to do.

The churning in her stomach couldn't wait any longer. She needed food. Realizing for the first time that she had no idea what time it was, she decided to check the Great Hall and see if there was any food being served. The walk towards the hall seemed agonizingly long and she sighed with relief once she arrived at the great oak doors. Then, the sigh turned to a groan as she peeked in and realized that it was lunchtime. This meant that pretty much all of the student body that was staying at Hogwarts was gathered in the spacious room, laughing and shouting. The thumping in her head would not let her eat here. Besides, she spied Logan at the far end of the Hufflepuff table with Ben. She didn't want to have to deal with any questions that he would surely ask.

The kitchens it is.

Arianna was sort of thankful that it was lunchtime. She had many house elf friends that worked in the kitchens but she hadn't been able to go down and say hello for far too long. This would be the perfect time to visit and catch up with them. It might even take her mind off of Sirius, even if it was only for a bit.

Taffie greeted her at the entrance with her big eyes and even bigger smile.

"Miss Ari! Taffie has not seen you for the longest of times! Taffie was beginning to think that you have gotten ill, miss!" Her voice was melodious.

Arianna gave the house elf a smile. "Well, it seems that I have, Taffie. Hangovers aren't exactly the most joyous thing. But it's great to see you again!"

"Taffie is sooo happy to see you, miss! There's a lot of stories to tell!" Taffie exclaimed happily as they weaved their way around busy house elves and sat atop an empty counter.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear, Taffie. But first, I need food. Do you think you could get me an omelette, some bacon, and a banana milkshake?" Arianna asked. She wasn't sure if she could stomach the food but she had to try.

"Kinkle will bring it right over miss. She wants to join us after!" Taffie exclaimed, signalling to another house elf to Arianna's right.

Arianna waved to the house elf, who always wore the most eccentric of outfits. Today, the girl wore a bright orange cap and a purple and green sheet that she had made as a sort of toga dress. Less than a minute later, Kinkle arrived at Arianna's feet carrying a platter of food.

"Kinkle added in some sausages, miss. I thought you might be very hungry," Kinkle said in a soft, tinkling voice.

Arianna gratefully accepted the platter and picked up the banana milkshake first. "So tell me these stories, I'm dying to hear all about your soap opera lives!" Arianna said as she sipped on the straw.

The house elves were always amused by Arianna because she was always so nice to them and treated them as her equal. They were especially delighted whenever she would mention something about muggles, even though they had no idea what she was talking about.

"Remmie has been talking to me much more, miss. Ever since you told me to appear 'hard to get' as you put it. He's always around me," Taffie blurted out, giggling. If house elves could blush, Arianna knew that Taffie would be as red as a tomato.

"That's great to hear! I told you it would work!" Arianna remarked before biting into a sausage.

Kinkle let out a laugh. "Oh but, miss, Taffie hasn't told you all yet!"

"I was getting to it, Kinkle!" Taffie said as she gave Kinkle a slight shove. "So, yes, miss, it did work… but I think it worked too well! You see, there's this other house elf, Olly, and…"

"A love triangle!" Arianna gasped then giggled. She knew she had come to the right place. Taffie and Kinkle always managed to get her to laugh.

"Love triangle?" Taffie looked bemused.

"Oh, never mind. So is this Olly _courting_ you now?" Arianna asked.

"I suppose so. He's always complimenting me and whenever I enter the room, he always comes rushing over to talk," Taffie informed her.

"Is he cute?" Arianna winked.

Kinkle squealed. "He is just the bestest thing to look at, miss! Kinkle sometimes catches herself staring at him!"

Arianna laughed and was about to start on her omelette when she heard the entrance to the kitchen open and someone shuffling in.

"Afternoon, Telly," she heard a voice say and she froze. She knew that voice well…

"Good afternoon, Mr. Black!" Telly, another house elf that Arianna talked to, said in greeting.

"Telly, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me-"

"Sirius," Arianna breathed and the boy went rigid. When he looked up to meet her eyes, Arianna noticed that the usual twinkle that adorned his dark eyes was gone and that a look of pain and anger had replaced it.

"Why aren't you with Logan?" he muttered, his feet shuffling.

"Gee, it's nice to see you too," Arianna said sarcastically. She was vaguely aware of the house elves moving away for they sensed that this was not a particular conversation that they should be overhearing.

"Not so nice, actually," Sirius replied, his voice laced with bitterness. Arianna bit her lip and reached for her milkshake. She needed to keep her mouth occupied before she said another thing that she would regret later.

"Speaking of your boyfriend, I had a nice little chat with him earlier today," Sirius went on, taking a seat across from her.

"Actually, we were barely speaking at all, but do go on." The milkshake was clearly no help.

Sirius cast her a look. "He was asking about you. Seemed to think that it was my fault that he couldn't find his precious girlfriend anywhere." He spit out the words as if they were poisonous and Arianna had to admit that it stung her.

"Well, he was clearly right about that."

"That's not the point, Ari. He had this crude idea that we spent the night alone together. He insinuated things," Sirius said.

"And I suppose I'm to go on and believe you?" Arianna blurted.

Sirius looked away. "Right. Because Logan would _never_ say those kinds of things. Because he's the nicest person in the world and everyone should get along with him just fine."

"He _promised_ me that he had no problem with our closeness!" Arianna insisted, the anger starting to rise out of her.

"And promises are always kept, are they?" he challenged her.

"I think I should be able to trust my boyfriend with these kinds of things," Arianna replied through gritted teeth. The pounding in her head was slowly getting worse and she noticed that she was beginning to shake.

"What about me, Ari? You suppose you can't trust your best friend of almost six years over a boy you've only begun to know?" The hurt in his voice couldn't be masked.

"Oh but, dear, I thought you told me not to be friends with you anymore?"

Arianna blinked. She didn't mean for those words to come out of her mouth. She knew that that would hurt him more than any other thing that she could have said. He probably wouldn't even want to look at her after this.

Her thoughts were reflected on his face. Arianna noticed that he wore a look that she had never seen on him before and a hollow feeling started to wash over her.

Sirius walked over to her, his steps agonizingly slow. Arianna couldn't bear to look up at him and once they were inches apart, she found herself staring at his shoes.

"Fine. If you can honestly tell me that you want to stop being my friend, then _fine_! I'll be done and I won't be a presence in your life any longer. Just say the word," he whispered, his voice strained.

Before Arianna could stop herself, she slapped him across the face. The smack that the impact made seemed to echo across the whole length of the kitchens and countless house elves stopped their activities to turn and stare.

"You're absolutely absurd, you know that?" Arianna yelled at him. "Why is this so difficult, Sirius? How did things get so complicated with you?"

"Well, there's that boyfriend of yours for one thing."

Arinna rolled her eyes. "Oh, quit it! Yes, you hate him. I get the picture! But what do you want me to do about it, Sirius?"

Sirius looked at her crossly. "I never said I hated him, Ari. He just makes things difficult for us. He gets jealous easy. Maybe if you just found another boy-"

"Another boy?! Sirius, are you actually telling me who I can and cannot date? Because I'm quite certain that you have no right to do that," Arianna said angrily.

"Well the boy you have now is certainly putting a strain on our friendship, so I guess you'll just have to choose."

Arianna stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Choose?"

Sirius looked at her straight in the eye. "Yes, choose. I'm not playing games, Ari. You have to choose. Him or me."

Arianna let out a bitter laugh. "You're crazy. And drunk. You're utterly insane right now. You can't honestly expect me to choose!"

Sirius grabbed hold of her arm and squeezed it tightly. "Actually, that's exactly what I'm expecting. And you better decide fast because I'm not about to stay in here with you all day. Logan might come looking. If he catches the both of us in here, he might make the decision for you."

"I…" Arianna couldn't even think to make a proper sentence. It was if her whole world was crashing down and the person who she thought would always be there to make things better was ready to let her go. How could he be so calm about this? Was he ready to lose her just like that? From the way he spoke so calmly, it sure seemed like it.

"I have to go," she blurted out. Pushing his hand away from her arm, she jumped off the counter and brushed past him, making her way to the exit. She didn't even look back when he called out her name.

--

"Arianna, you are being impossible right now," Lily groaned as she brushed her curls.

Caitlin, who went to go and fetch Arianna's dress, came bouncing into the room with the stunning piece of fabric in her hand. "You won't even tell us what's wrong!"

The bed in which Arianna lay curled up in made a few movements as the girl shifted positions from underneath the covers. She tried as best as she could to block out her friend's voices but they insisted that they would not attend the new years party without Arianna beside them.

The afternoon had been one of the worst that Arianna could remember. After all, drowning in sorrow wasn't exactly the most enjoyable of things. After leaving the kitchens, she had wandered the halls for a few minutes and by sheer luck, had encountered Peeves on the third floor corridor. Not only did the ghost manage to point out every bad thing about her appearance but he also managed to hit home by asking where either of her two boyfriends were. When she asked what he was talking about, he proceeded to tell her that Logan was looking for her and that Sirius shouldn't be that far behind. Arianna tried to throw a book at him.

The rest of the day was spent in bed, her main company being misery. She had tried her hardest not to cry in front of Sirius or anyone else but once she got into the warm layers of her own bed, she let her guard down and the tears had flowed freely. She was sad and torn and upset but most of all, she was angry. Angry at Sirius for accusing Logan of such horrible things. Angry that he could even think that their relationship could put a strain on hers and Logan's. Angry that he was making her choose one guy or the other. Angry that she couldn't make that decision.

A week ago, everything had seemed so perfect. Now, she was risking losing either one of the most important men in her life and it was ripping her heart apart. How could Sirius do this to her? He must have known that this would torture her, yet he didn't seem to care.

"Arianna get up and out of that bed before we drag you out! Don't forget, we can get the boys up here if we need a little muscle!" Lily threatened.

A groan came from underneath the pile of comforters. "Get them up here if you must but don't you forget, Lily Evans, I'm good with blackmail!"

Caitlin let out an irritated sigh and proceeded to swat different parts of the round heap on the bed. "Get up or we'll get both Logan and Sirius up here! We know that it's those two you're avoiding. We saw Sirius sulking in the common room earlier."

Arianna sat up, glaring at Caitlin. "You are incorrigible, Caitlin Hurst!"

Caitlin grinned. "You're not the only one who can use blackmail, Ms. Carden."

"So are you going to tell us what's wrong?" Lily asked.

Arianna sighed. "I'd really rather not. At least not now."

"Okay, fine. We'll get it out of you sooner or later. But first thing's first. The party will be starting in 30 minutes and if we don't hurry fixing you up, we'll be late! What kind of hosts would we be then?"

"Lily, we're not hosting, the Marauders are," Arianna told her.

"Either way, we're pretty important people." Lily winked at her. Arianna groaned and got out of the bed, the realization that she would have to wear Sirius' present dawning on her.

"Figures I wouldn't have another dress," she muttered, taking hold of the deep red clothing. Once she put it on and took a glance at herself in the mirror, her breath caught. Sirius had quite possibly gotten her the most beautiful dress that she could ever hope to wear. It fit in all the right places and hugged her curves in the most flattering way. Both Caitlin and Lily were squealing with joy once they saw her.

"You look absolutely exquisite, darling!" Lily laughed.

"Sirius knew exactly what would look amazing on you!" Caitlin added. "Wait until we enter the room, all the boys' jaws will drop!"

Arianna rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut it, the both of you. You two look just as amazing as I do."

It was true. Lily wore a stunning white halter dress with a neckline running low but not too low that it would be classified as trashy. Her cheeks were flushed and she wore her hair down with a white rose pinned to the side. She wore minimal makeup since, being a natural beauty, she hardly needed any. Caitlin was wearing a black sleeveless dress that hugged her entire body and went down to her mid thigh. Her hair was in loose waves and she too wore only a bit of makeup, the most of which was bright red lipstick. No one would be able to take their eyes off of the three.

After putting the finishing touches on her hair and makeup, Arianna could no longer prolong the inevitable and the three made their way to the Room of Requirements.

Upon entering the room, Arianna couldn't help but gasp at the sight. The boys had outdone themselves yet again. The night's theme was fire and ice and so, the whole length of the room was made to look like an ice cave. The walls sparkled with snow frost and ice sculptures were spread all over, ropes of brightly burning flames twisting around them. The ceiling was a mass of churning fire and the borders of the room were lit up with thousands of tiny floating candles.

"Remus Lupin, you are brilliant!" Caitlin exclaimed as Remus suddenly appeared in front of them with a beaming smile.

"Why thanks, Caitie, but it wasn't all me," Remus replied, wrapping his arm around both Caitlin and Arianna.

"In fact, it wasn't Remus at all. I did all the work, thank you very much!" James said as he walked up to the group and gave Lily a big hug.

Lily laughed. "Oh, please. Remus probably did everything."

James gave her a scornful look. "Did I mention just how absolutely lovely you three ladies look this evening?"

Arianna gave a small smile. "Thanks."

Just then, the doors to the room opened once more and a large group of people came piling in. They all gasped and marvelled at the wonderful escape from reality that the Marauders had created for them.

"Well, I suppose we have to entertain this lot. We're the hosts after all," James winked and steered Lily away from the group to go and chat with some other sixth years.

"I'd better go break out the butterbeer and firewhiskey before people start to riot. Caitie, come with me. Arianna, Logan's bound to be here somewhere. He seemed to really want to talk to you earlier." With that, Remus and Caitlin disappeared amongst the crowd of people and Arianna was left alone.

_Great,_ she thought. _The last thing I need is to face him right now. Things will be way too awkward. And what if he asks me about Sirius? I should probably just leave right now to avoid some drama._

Before she could even turn around, however, Sam stepped in right in front of her.

"Ari!" Sam squealed and proceeded to give her a big hug. "I've missed you! How was your break?"

This time, Arianna didn't have to force her smile. "It's been pretty good. Could have been better though. For one thing, you could have stayed and kept me company!"

Sam laughed. "Oh, please. You had Caitie! Isn't that enough? Besides, I wasn't about to pass up a whole week of delicious home cooked meals and loud drunk family members for the likes of you!"

Arianna feigned a look of hurt. "And I thought we were close, Samantha!"

Sam gave her a light punch. "We are close! Just not that close. Oh, you know I'm kidding!" She added the last part once Arianna threw her another look. The other girl smiled brightly.

"Oh, I know!"

"By the way, that dress looks _amazing _on you! Where in the world did you get it?" Sam asked.

Arianna shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, Sirius gave it to me."

That was when she felt another person standing right behind her and she stiffened when she heard the all too familiar voice.

"Well, isn't that just great of Sirius?"

Arianna turned around. "Logan! It's great to see you!"

The hug that followed felt too strained and awkward for Arianna's liking. She quickly pulled away.

"I've been looking for you all day."

Arianna looked away. "I was in bed all day, Logan. I felt really tired."

"Yes, well." Logan paused. "Sirius sure seems to know what fits well with your body, doesn't he?"

Arianna felt her throat dry up. "Yes, I suppose he does."

Logan lightly brushed the base of her neck and shivers coursed throughout her whole body.

"And what about the necklace I gave you?" His voice was barely a whisper.

Arianna's eyes widened and a horrible feeling of guilt washed over her. How could she have forgotten?

"Logan, I'm really sorry! I was caught up inn a lot of things and I guess I just forgot!"

The boy's eyes reflected the anger he felt. "But you weren't preoccupied enough to put on the present that _Sirius_ got you, I suppose?"

Arianna shook. "That's different and you know it. I couldn't possibly go to this party without a dress."

"Yes, but you could go without your boyfriend's present."

Arianna was silent. She didn't know what else to say and she knew that arguing wouldn't help at all. When Logan threw her one last withering look, all Arianna could do was keep herself from crying. She didn't even call out his name when he started to walk away from her.

The rest of the party was a blur. Arianna vaguely remembered grabbing a bottle of butterbeer from Caitlin and chugging it all down in one go. She hadn't the faintest clue what she had said to anyone who dared to talk to her and she didn't care either. Her main goals for the night were to keep herself from breaking down in front of half the school population and avoiding Sirius like the plague. The latter was surprisingly easy. With the exception of a few glimpses here and there, Arianna caught no sight of him all night. That is, she didn't until he unexpectedly bumped into her and gave her a torn piece of paper with his usual scrawl in it.

**Olly olly oxen free.  
****Meet me in the Astronomy Tower.  
****ASAP**

Arianna stood in the middle of the crowd and stared at the paper in her hands. She didn't know what to do. A part of her mind screamed at her not to go and that it would only lead to more trouble. Another part, however, told her that she might as well. What more could she lose?

_A best friend?_

_A boyfriend?_

Right.

Just as she was about to make her decision, the countdown to midnight started and everyone was chanting the numbers. Arianna's heart started to race and she scanned the crowd for any sight of Logan.

_9... 8... 7..._

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Caitlin and Remus hugging each other tightly.

_6... 5... 4..._

She spied Sirius casually slipping out the door.

_3... 2... 1..._

A chorus of "Happy New Year!" rang throughout the room and all around Arianna, couples shared intimate hugs and deep kisses. Logan was nowhere to be found.


	10. Friendly Fire

**A/N: **Well, hello there lovely readers! It's been a while! I started this story before I started high school and now... I'm about to graduate. He. He. Forgive me? My updating skills are the worst. I am so sorry to those of you who have been following this story from the very beginning. I just disappeared, I know! But hey, it's better late than never, right? Right? Well anyhow, after years and years of being too busy, I stumbled upon my account here and decided to re-read this story. And you know what? Even I wanted more! So I decided, to hell with it, and wrote another chapter. Hurray! Hopefully I'll be able to whip up a few more for you guys before I graduate, but I can't make any promises! I've been so incredibly busy! But one thing is for sure... you can never give up hope on this story! :) so please, R&R! Thank you lovelies!

PS. I'm sorry to all you guys about the previous chapters. For some reason, the dividers that I put to separate different scenes have disappeared and I have no idea how to bring them back! So sorry because the transitions between scenes must have been really confusing to read!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Harry Potter. *sob*

* * *

**Orange Skies:  
Friendly Fire**

_You're killing me, killing me, killing me slow,  
and I don't even, don't even, don't even know  
what it is that you're doing,  
if you really knew me,  
you would let me go.  
And you're cutting me, cutting me, cutting me down,  
and you're wearing me, wearing me, wearing me out,  
and the songs that we're singing,  
the point of our feeling,  
what happened to emotion?  
What Happened To Emotion? (Killing Me) - Forever The Sickest Kids _

The long, spiralled staircase seemed to go on forever as Arianna took every agonizing step towards the top of the Astronomy Tower. The dark blanket of night enveloped her and she was both sad and somewhat amused that the setting matched her current mood perfectly. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes but she continually brushed them off with the back of her hand. She didn't care that her makeup was ruined or that she looked absolutely dreadful for a girl that was attending the school year's best party. Besides, she had no intention of returning to the Room of Requirements. Nothing was left for her in there.

Logan had disappeared from the party. Arianna had spent fifteen minutes after midnight walking around the room, dodging many drunk and unaware bodies, looking for him. The emptiness that she felt when she realized that he had just left her was agonizing. Sure, they had been fighting, but she didn't think that he would just leave without even a word of goodbye. A part of her had hoped that they would find each other at midnight and forgive each other for all the jealousy and misunderstandings. Even just talking about the situation would have eased her mind. Was that too much to expect? Was she asking too much from her boyfriend? Apparently so. Arianna had been convinced that Logan was above the craziness of jealousy, but now, she was beginning to question whether or not she had overestimated him. Then, a chilling thought came to her mind. What if there was really something to be jealous of?

She shook at the thought. Before the school year started, her relationship with Sirius had been so simple. They were best friends, and that was that. The question of where they stood with each other had never crossed Arianna's mind. Every single action that she made towards Sirius was second nature. Even playing with his hair or giving him a kiss on the cheek was nothing more than a sign of comfortability between them. They never argued to the point where they had to question their friendship. She had no idea why their whole relationship dynamic had changed so drastically. People always suspected that there was something more between them. Was it finally time for them to realize it?

Arianna didn't know. Being romantically involved with Sirius was unimaginable. Laughable, even. She had always viewed him as a brother. If people ever asked, she would have been proud to call him family. She also knew too much about his romantic encounters. If there was one complaint that Arianna had about their closeness, it was the fact that Sirius had no problem relaying all the dirty details of his past relationships. Even if she did have any sort of romantic feelings for him (which she refused to even consider), she knew full well of the trail of broken hearts that he left in his wake. She refused to be just another name on his long list of conquests. No, she believed that their relationship was greater than that. But that didn't change the fact that right now, things between them were rocky at best. That's why she decided that no matter the outcome, it was best that she complied with his request.

After what seemed like forever, Arianna finally reached the landing of the Astronomy Tower. The door that led outside was slightly ajar and the faint moonlight set a mystifying glow to the small crack of the door. Nervousness began to set in as she fully took in her predicament. Would they have another fight? She had no strength for that at the moment. If Sirius tried to confront her, she knew that she would just sit back and take whatever words he threw her way. There was also the fact that he had asked her to choose between him and Logan. Even now, the idea of having to give up one of the two was too unbearable to think about.

With a deep breath, she slowly pushed the door open and stepped outside. The air was harsh and cold and she instantly regretted not thinking to put on a coat. There was a light snowfall and little flecks of snow fell onto her eyelashes. She blinked them away and her focus turned to the boy standing to her left, leaning against the wall of the tower and turned away from her, looking out at the vast expanse of the Hogwarts grounds. He didn't appear to notice her arrival and Arianna slowly walked up behind him, trembling all the way.

"Hi," her voice came out in a whisper.

His body tensed at the sound of his new companion and he slowly turned around to face her. His expression was a mixture of shock and relief. Then, he took in the sight of her shivering in the cold and immediately shed the coat of his dress robes and draped it around her shoulders. Even when they weren't in good terms, he was still looking out for her.

"I didn't think you would come," he said. His voice was deeper than usual.

Arianna shrugged. "It took a while to convince myself to come up here, but I wasn't in the partying mood anyways."

"I could tell," Sirius replied. "Why aren't you with Logan?"

Arianna looked down at her hands. "We got into a fight. He got mad that I was wearing the dress that you got me and that I forgot to wear his present. So I guess he took off. I tried looking for him but I couldn't find him anywhere."

"Ah," he nodded. They stood in silence for a while. Arianna had no idea what to say. She wasn't accustomed to awkward silences with Sirius. After a few minutes, he cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Ari," he started. Arianna looked up at him in surprise. "I was so upset last night and god knows how many bottles I had to drink. Then I ran into Logan this morning and that just put me in an even worse mood. And then in the kitchens…"

He leaned against the wall and slumped down towards the ground. He motioned for Arianna to take a seat beside him and she complied. She immediately felt the urge to lean against him and rest her head on his shoulder. If it had been a couple of days ago, she would have done so without even giving it a thought. Now, she knew that she wasn't allowed. Not in the current situation that they were in.

"Asking you to choose between me and your boyfriend was really unfair of me," he said. This took Arianna by surprise. She wasn't expecting him to take away that demand. "I acted like a complete git towards you."

She punched him lightly in the arm, trying to remove some of the tension between them.

"Yeah, you did." She gave him a small smile, which he returned. "But I did too. I said some really harsh things to you, and I'm really sorry for that. I guess I got caught up in the moment… Like you did with that kiss."

Arianna wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring up the kiss. They were just in the middle of saying their apologies and bringing it up was sure to bring more complications. She knew she was right when Sirius' expression darkened and he turned his face away from her.

"That was stupid of me," he said. "I shouldn't have kissed you. I should have known that it would cause repercussions. I just…"

"You just what?" she asked.

"I don't know what came over me," he answered, glancing briefly at her before turning away again. "I saw you reading, and then I saw the mistletoe above you, and I just _had_ to. When I saw the mistletoe, the idea of kissing you just popped in my head, and then it was as if _not_ kissing you was out of the question."

"Why?" Arianna was afraid of the answer. Did she even want to know? What if he had feelings for her? What would that do to their relationship? That one kiss had caused her to doubt everything she knew about her friendship with him.

He finally turned to look at her, his eyes smouldering. Arianna saw that same pained expression on his face.

"I don't know."

"You're lying," she whispered.

He didn't reply. Instead, he broke eye contact with her and let his gaze travel down. She suddenly felt very aware of her body, and how it looked in the dress that he got her. A blush crept onto her face. She had never really felt self-conscious around Sirius before, but this conversation was different from any other that they've had. She wasn't sure what his silence meant. She wasn't sure if she was ready to find out.

"My mind is so messed up right now, Ari," Sirius whispered after a few minutes of silence. "Everything in my life… I've been questioning it all."

Arianna felt her stomach drop. "What do you mean?"

"I've tried to keep it from you guys, and I've tried to not let it affect me because I didn't want anyone to worry," he started. "But things at home… they're getting much worse than usual. Sure, I haven't seen my family in months, but they've made it a priority to send me updates now and again about their pure-blood life."

There was a pause in his explanation and Arianna nodded for him to go on.

"They have officially joined You-Know-Who's inner circle," Sirius stated, looking at his friend in the eye for the first time during his explanation. The pain in his grey orbs was unmistakeable.

Arianna immediately felt grief course through her veins. She couldn't even imagine the pain that Sirius was going through. She knew that his parents were great supporters of the Dark Lord, but it hurt all the same to know that they had officially joined the ranks of Death Eaters. Her hand instinctively reached out for his own and their fingers intertwined. She tried to give him a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm so sorry, Sirius," she said. "I can't even begin to fathom how awful that must be for you. But you know that I'm here for you no matter what. We all are. You shouldn't have to hide things like that."

Sirius shook his head. "That's not all. They've been sending me threatening letters. Not about my safety, though, but with yours. With all of my friends. They keep saying that it's only a matter of time before they get their hands on you and do all sorts of wicked things to you. That's why I've been pushing you away lately."

Even though only their hands were touching, Arianna could feel Sirius' whole body shake with anger and frustration. "I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you guys because of my parents."

"Nothing will happen to us, love," Arianna tried to reassure him. "And even if something does, it won't be your fault. You've done nothing but good things for us, Sirius. Don't you forget that."

Sirius gave her a weak smile. "It sure doesn't seem that way, the way we've been acting towards each other the past couple of days."

Arianna gave a small laugh. After what he just confessed, their fight seemed so silly. All that she wanted was for them to make up so that she could fully help him deal with his issues.

"Forget about our fight. That's not important right now. It seems rather immature on both our parts if you think about it, especially with all that's been going on with you. I'm willing to put it all behind us if you are," she said, giving him a light shove.

Sirius buried his face in her hair, taking in the sweet scent of her vanilla shampoo. "You're amazing, you know that, Ari?"

Arianna laughed. "And I was under the impression that you don't befriend anyone less than that."

Sirius withdrew from his place in her long locks and grinned. "Why, I suppose you're right. I don't."

She laughed once again, the melodious sound confirming their renewed friendship. This was the last thing that Arianna had expected to happen tonight, but she was glad that things were better between her and Sirius, even if that didn't take away the fact that his parents seemed to be on a mission to kill her. There was also the nagging suspicion in the back of her mind that Sirius wasn't telling her everything, but she decided to overlook it. He had confessed enough for one night, and Arianna didn't want to push him any further.

"Now, good sir," she started as she got up from her place on the wall. "Would you mind accompanying me back to our dorms? I would really prefer not to get frostbite out here!"

"Wouldn't you rather go back to the party? It seems like you're in a jolly right mood for it now, and knowing those party animals, it'll still be on full swing by the time we get back," he said, standing up beside her.

Arianna grinned and grabbed hold of his hand, dragging him towards the door. "Right you are. I think it's time we showed those fools how a party is really done."

* * *

"OW! Oh, James Potter, you are _so _dead!"

It was the last day of the winter break and since the weather had decided to co-operate with them, the gang was fulfilling their plans to spend it outdoors. In the middle of the field lay two magnificent snow forts, created both by hand and by magic. Various small, makeshift towers adorned various walls, tunnels, and barricades made out of snow. Arianna sat inside one of the tunnels, leaning on Remus' side while peering out of the small hole. Her wand was in her right hand while a snowball lay in the other. Remus snickered beside her.

"I applaud you for effort, Ari, but really?" he asked.

Arianna rolled her eyes. "I'll get Potter back, don't you worry, dear Remmy!"

Remus laughed. "As long as you don't take someone's eye out in the process."

She stuck out her tongue at him before focusing her attention back outside, trying to find her target. They were in the midst of a war, but not the kind of war that one might first assume. The battle had started when the gang had finished building their snow forts. They had all stood back for a moment, just appraising their handiwork when a snowball came whizzing by, just barely missing Arianna's face, and hit Sirius square on the neck. He howled in surprise and mild pain, looking around for his attacker. He didn't have to search for long as Caitlin fell over laughing at him. She thrust her fist high up in the air and emitted a loud cry of amusement. Sirius stared at her for a moment, a small smirk forming on his lips. He started walking towards her with a menacing look in his eyes.

"Caitlin Hurst, I hope you realize what you have just instigated," he said in a low voice, trying to act intimidating.

Caitlin gave him an innocent look. "And what might that be?"

"War."

"Ah, well then, I welcome the challenge," she quipped before breaking out into a run. He followed after her, some snow already in his hands. He looked back at the rest of the group and motioned them forward.

"Well don't just stand there like blithering buffoons, let's get this snowball fight started!"

The others broke out of their stupor and immediately formed teams. Caitlin, Arianna, and Remus were one team and Lily, Sirius, and James formed another. As usual, Peter had not joined them. Each team formed their headquarters in a snow fort and they had already spent nearly an hour engaged in warfare. Unfortunately for Arianna, she was not blessed with the gift of hand-eye coordination. Throwing, and sports in general, had never been her strong suit, and it clearly showed in her snowball fighting skills. Remus knew that any retaliation she would try on getting with James would be in vain, but it still amused him all the same.

Suddenly, Caitlin appeared in front of the tunnel, glaring at the pair of them.

"What's a girl gotta do to get some backup here, huh? Stop hiding in that tunnel like a bunch of sissies!" she said to them in mock irritation.

"I'll have you know, Caitie, that Remus and I were devising a brilliant and sure-fire plan in that tunnel," Arianna replied as she crawled out.

"Oh, and what might that be?" Caitlin asked.

"Duck!" Remus yelled at her. Caitlin gave him a look.

"Now what kind of a plan is th-" her sentence was cut short when a snowball hit the side of her head. James, who had stationed himself in one of his fort's towers, gave a cry of jubilation. Caitlin shot him a death glare.

"We'll see who's laughing once I get my hands on you, Potter!" she screamed at his direction.

"You'll have to catch me first!" he replied.

"Don't you worry, Jamesickle, I will!" Caitlin said, smiling. She began throwing a perfectly shaped snowball from one hand to the other.

Suddenly, Remus caught sight of shining red hair to his right. He gasped and pushed Arianna and Caitlin away.

'It's a trap!" he exclaimed. "They were distracting us! Run!"

Arianna only took a few steps before the first few snowballs came rushing towards her. Thankfully, none of them hit their target. If there was one thing that Arianna was good at in this game, it was dodging. She was quick on her feet and managed to stay clear of every snowball that Lily threw her way. She forced herself to run until she found safety behind one of the walls of their snow fort. From there, she decided to climb the makeshift stairs to get to the tower that immediately faced her competition.

From her vantage point, she spied James still standing in his own tower. He was distracted by Remus, who had taken refuge in one of their barricades and was using magic to shoot snowballs towards the enemy. Arianna grinned. This was perfect. She used her own wand to levitate two snowballs and poised herself, ready for the assault.

"Hey, Potter!" she yelled out, grabbing his attention for a couple of seconds. Those few moments were all it took. She sent the snowballs hurtling through the air and they hit him right smack on the face, one after the other. She cried out in glee, amazed that the snowballs actually hit their mark. It was a rare occasion.

"And that," she said, "is for the snow that you got down my pants earlier!"

Before James could retaliate, Arianna quickly ducked down from her post and flew down the steps. She raced towards Remus, who still stood at the barricade. He was laughing hysterically when she reached him.

"That was brilliant, Ari!" he said in between gasps for air. "I honestly didn't think you had it in you. Oh, that look on his face…"

Arianna beamed. "I told you I would get him back, didn't I? Now where has Caitie run off to?"

Remus pointed to his left. "Last I saw, Sirius was on her trail. I did not want to get in the middle of _that_."

Arianna shook her head. "So much for being chivalrous, Remmy! Now, cover me. I'm going after him."

"And what are you gonna do, close your eyes and hope that one of the snowballs you throw manages to hit him?"

"Ha ha. Very funny. Did you not just see what I did to James back there? If I do recall, you almost peed your pants laughing. Now cover me!"

Remus rolled his eyes. "As you wish."

Arianna gave him a salute before running off, leaving the safety of their snow fortress. She couldn't have made it more than a couple of feet before she caught a glimpse of Sirius towards her right. He had been on the run, chasing after Caitlin, who Arianna could hear laughing in glee in the distance. However, he caught sight of Arianna and stopped, turning towards her instead. Apparently, he deemed her much better prey.

"Black," Arianna called out to him.

"Carden," he returned. A smirk formed on his lips. "I'm surprised you sought me out. Must be feeling pretty brave."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I can take you down."

He wiggled his eyebrows, his smirk becoming more pronounced.

"Oh, please do."

"Gross."

Using her wand, Arianna took some snowballs and attempted to hit Sirius. He dodged them easily.

"Darling, you're going to have to do much better than that," he said, starting to make his way towards her.

"Oh crap," she muttered under her breath. She turned around towards the barricade and called out to her companion. "Attack, Remus! Attack!"

A few snowballs went flying past her towards Sirius, but he dodged them as easily as he had the others. He was running now, and Arianna knew that it was time for her to move as well. However, she knew she couldn't outrun Sirius, and just as this thought formed in her head, she felt his presence right behind her. She began to turn to see if she was right, and he collided with her, bringing them both down to the ground. Arms and legs went everywhere, the snow managing to cushion their fall. Sirius ended up being on top of Arianna, his head a mere inches away from hers. He smirked.

"Well lookie here. It seems that _I _am the one that took _you_ down," he said. Arianna rolled her eyes at him.

"Yeah, yeah, very manly of you. Now can you please get off?"

Sirius seemed to ponder it for a moment, then shook his head.

"I find it rather comfortable like this," he said, his breath tickling her face. Arianna suddenly felt very aware of how close they were and a blush crept onto her face. His lips were only a few inches away from touching hers and she couldn't help but think of the kiss that they had shared. How it was so sudden and quick, his lips light and warm against hers, the way his taste had lingered on her lips hours afterwards…

"You look really pretty," he whispered. His voice had turned low and husky once again and Arianna couldn't help but turn a darker shade of red at the sound of it. Then, a memory replayed itself in her mind.

_Arianna looks incredibly pretty today. There's nothing I want to do more than kiss her right now._

She tensed up, feeling his arms tighten around her sides. He was much too close. His eyes were level with her own, and once she looked into them, everything that she was thinking of vanished. All that there was were his grey eyes, and the raw emotion that was displayed upon them. What was going on? Was he going to kiss her? Would she really be opposed to it?

Just as she thought he would lean down and finally fill the gap between them, footsteps interrupted their intimate moment. Both of them jumped up, flustered. When Arianna looked up to see who had come to them, her face drained of colour. Dread filled her whole being. The hurt and pain in their new companion's face was unmistakeable.

Without even a word, Logan turned around and stormed back towards the castle.

* * *

"I don't know what else you want me to say."

"There really is nothing left to say, Ari," Logan said in a low voice, not able to look at his girlfriend in the eye.

They were sitting in an empty classroom, a few desks apart. Arianna was hurt that Logan had chosen to sit so far away from her, like she had some deadly disease that he might catch if he stood close enough. But she couldn't blame him. Not after what he had just witnessed.

After Logan had turned around to go back to the castle, Arianna had gotten up and ran to catch up to him. It took her a lot of pleading to get him to agree to listen to her explanation of the situation, but in the end, he complied, and they went into the castle to find someplace private to talk. At first, Arianna apologized profusely for forgetting to wear his present to the party the night before. Then she went on to explain that the gang had decided to have a snowball fight that day, and that Sirius had merely fallen down on her accidentally when he had decided to chase her. She insisted that that was all there was to it, but she knew that Logan didn't believe her. She didn't blame him. She knew that if the situation was reversed, she wouldn't believe him, either.

Arianna had decided to leave out the kiss from before, or the talk that her and Sirius had on top of the Astronomy Tower. She knew that Logan would never trust her around Sirius again if he knew what had happened between them and all the emotions that she felt. She thought it was better for her not to mention it until she figured out what was going on herself, because frankly, she was just as confused as he was.

"Just tell me one more thing, and I know I've already asked you this before, but I just need to say it and I want you to answer me truthfully," Logan said.

There was a slight pause and Arianna found herself nodding to encourage him to go on. He hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth to speak once again.

"Is there something going on between you and Sirius Black?"


End file.
